


Supernova

by KawaiPanda



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-01
Updated: 2016-04-14
Packaged: 2018-05-24 04:24:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 23,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6141400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KawaiPanda/pseuds/KawaiPanda
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Au, as of magical games. Things between Lucy and Natsu were becoming strained as Lisanna took back her spot as best friend to the dragon slayer. Enter a madman trying to end Lucy's life for unexplained reasons. Life, as she knew it, was destined to change and not necessarily for the better. Lucy-Centric.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

 

Today was going to be a great day—I could tell because when I woke up this morning I didn't have to kick Natsu out of my bed. Yawning, I sat up and padded my way to the bathroom to start getting ready for the day.

I didn't know what I was going to do today. A mission with Natsu, maybe, but my rent wasn't due at the moment. I opened the medicine cabinet and pulled my toothbrush out of the holder, squeezing a good portion of tooth paste onto the bristles and began cleaning my teeth. Maybe I could just relax and hang out with Levy... but then she would probably be hanging out with Gajeel today. Again. Damn.

Frowning, I spit out the foam, and rinsed out my mouth. I could go training. I needed to. How else would I get stronger? What to do? Hmm . . .

Whistling, I started changing out of my pajamas and into some clean clothes before heading over to the Guild. I didn't want to be stuck in the house all day and maybe I could make up my mind when I finally got to the Guild. I really would like to spend some time with my friends... But I didn't know who was at the Guild, so I would have to see when I got there. Wrapping my whip around my waist and hooking my Celestial Keys onto one of the loops of my skirt, I locked up behind me and headed off.

Not even off of the steps leading towards my apartment, I was surrounded by people. There were several vendors with booths up and down the street, filling Strawberry Street with an unusual amount of traffic. The annual festival that started up some time while we were frozen on Tenrou island was now underway apparently, I saw from the flyers hanging up. I had completely forgotten about it. Blinking my surprise, I squirmed my way through the crowd and stepped onto the edge of the canal.

I hadn't gotten far when I heard the customary, "Be careful Lucy-san!"

"I will!" I paused mid-step and smiled, waving back. Without any warning, there was a small but contained explosion, and the crowd behind me went wild. Blinking, I turned to see what the magician had displayed when an elbow caught me in the back of my knees. I was unable to take a breath before I hit the water below, and even though I knew how to swim, panic set in as water found its way into my lungs.

Busy fighting to keep from drowning, I don't notice the other splash several feet away from me. When arms came around me, I struggle to be freed. All I could think about in that moment was freedom from the water. I was dragged further from the canal walls and closer to my death. When I was pulled from the water into a boat I was shivering, coughing, and crying, half-drowned mess.

"Lucy-san, you have to be more careful!" He scolded, wrapping me in a towel. I huddled on the floor of the boat, trying to warm myself.

After a few moments, I looked at him giving him my most sincere smile that I could muster at the moment. "Thank you."

"It's not a problem, but you should be more careful, Miss Lucy." I blink and start laughing. The water still hadn't been completely cleared out, so I quickly begin coughing. He's by my side instantly, hitting my back to help me start breathing right again. When the fit is over, I give him another smile.

"Please, just Lucy."

He nods. "Right, Lucy." We're silent for a moment before he gestures to himself. "I'm Braxton."

"Braxton." I test the name. It sounds… right. And for the first time, I get a good look at this man. My savior. He's young. Younger than I thought he would be because I've never paid attention to the men who called out their warning to me before. He's handsome. Brown hair, blue eyes. He's not too muscular to the extreme that Natsu was, but he's toned all the same from his hard, honest work. His skin is dark from being exposed to the sun for long periods of time. I blinked and before I can even think about it, I asked, "Let me treat you?"

"Eh?" He appears startled, having been steering the boat to the steps. "No, you don't have to—."

I cut him off with a shake of my head, the water flying from my hair with the motion, "I want to. You saved me."

"Well . . ." he trailed off, looking at me from the corner of his eye.

I giggled. I had never had to try so hard to get a guy to eat with me especially when it was my treat. And especially when it came to Natsu. Natsu . . . I forced him out of my mind and smiled. "I promise you won't regret it."

After a moment, he nodded his consent. "Okay."

"Great! It's a date!"

"Date?" From the tone, I quickly realize what I said and hurried to backtrack the statement.

"I meant—."

"A date would be great." I blinked and my cheeks flamed. Internally, I hopped he didn't notice.

"A-All right." I clear my throat and stand. He takes my hand and helps me move from the boat to the concrete steps. He moves to stand next to me. I notice his towering height. The top of my head only reaches the center of his chest, and I find myself craning my neck to look him in the eyes. "Tomorrow then?"

"Sure. What time?"

"Six okay with you?" I ask, slowly uncovering myself with the towel he provided me with and handing it back to him.

"Six it is," he replied, tossing the towel back into his boat. "Where do you want to meet?"

"My apartment is fine. I'm thinking, Café Estelle."

"Right." At his nod, I move up a step, making our heights just about even, preparing to head back to dry off and change.

"See you then?" His hand grasped mine, and I still.

"Definitely." He pressed a lingering kiss on the pink insignia of my guild.

XXXX

When I finally reached the guild, it was high noon. The building was full of members, but I noticed that my pink haired partner was nowhere to be found. After nearly drowning this morning I had to go home and change. It wouldn't do to head to the guild looking like a drowned rat.

"Mira, where's Natsu?" I asked as I headed to the bar. The woman in question looked up from cleaning the bar and started making a vanilla shake for me.

"Natsu? He and Lisanna went on a mission together." She replied with her ever present smile.

"Oh." Frowning down into the yellow concoction, I sighed and said, "Thanks."

Leaving the bar, I noticed several others missing. Ezra, Gray and Juvia were nowhere to be found. They were most likely on a mission themselves. But I did spot my favorite bluenette chattering with her team members.

Smiling, I headed in her direction. "Levy!"

She turned and grinned at me, her nakama sulking as her attentions shifted to me. "Hey Lu-chan."

"I need to talk to you," I said, sipping on my milkshake.

Levy nodded. "Sure!" We slowly made our way away from the others and to the library on the upper floor of the Guild building. When we were safely in the confines of the empty room, she hoisted herself up onto the cluttered table, swinging her legs as she looked at me with curiosity. "What's up?"

"I'm . . ." Taking a deep breath, I began again. "I'm going on a date tomorrow."

"Eh?!" She squealed in excitement, leaping off of the table and launched herself at me. It knocked the half empty milkshake out of my hand, and spilled it all over the floor. She quickly magicked a mop and cleaned up the mess. "He finally asked you out?" She asked with a sheepish smile as she seated herself back on the table.

"Huh?" I know she didn't know Braxton. But then it clicked. I should have known . . . "Oh, no. It's not with Natsu. I'm going out with someone else."

"Oh." She blinked in surprise. "What about Natsu?"

"What about him?" Natsu. I finally figured out a couple of months ago that I liked the dimwitted dragon slayer and ever since then, I always felt self-conscious whenever he was involved. It nearly gave me a heart attack whenever I would wake up with him in my bed. Of course, I acted as I normally did because in part, I didn't know how he felt about me. Probably not in the same way as before, though. Especially with Lisanna back. She was the other reason why I refrained from blurting out my feelings.

"Should you be dating other guys when you're trying to get him to notice your feelings?" She asked quietly. I bit my lip and looked away.

"Levy, Natsu isn't ever going to notice that I'm in love with him." I gave her a bitter smile. It was true! Natsu was so dense, something could smack him in the face, and he would never notice. "And besides, I think Lisanna is going to catch him first."

She frowned. "I wouldn't be too sure of that."

"Still . . ."

She sighed. "I know."

"I can't wait for him forever." I crossed my arms, looking at the entrance of the room. Asuka and Wendy were coming closer with several books in their possession.

"I understand." She nodded, standing up. "Want to go shopping? You need a new outfit, right?"

Thankful, I take the change of topic like the lifeline it was. I giggled as I started out of the door, glancing over my shoulder. "I probably do. Let's go to my place first, though."

"Okay."

I led the way out of the guild greeting the girls as we exited the room. Levy left the glass that she had knocked over on a table near the bar as we passed, and told Gajeel, who had just entered the guild, where we were going.

I summoned Plue, and off we went. We chittered about nothing of importance, just catching up on the past couple of days when we reached my apartment.

"So anything in particular you're looking for?" She asked, rummaging through my closet. I reclined on the couch, Plue shivering in my lap.

"Well, we're going to Café Estelle." Levy squealed in excitement at the mention of the place.

"Oh! That one next to Lake Scilliora?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"I heard that the food there is to die for!" She informed me, matter-of-factly, shuffling out of the closet, pacing the room. "I want to go." She pouted.

"Have Gajeel take you." I suggested.

"You know he won't." She sighed and fell back on my bed. She grabbed my pillow, hugging it to her chest, and I stood, placing Plue on the couch. I took her place in the closet and looked through my clothing. A lot of it was out of fashion now because of the seven years we had spent frozen on Tenrou Island.

I sighed, defeated. "I'm going to have to buy some new clothes."

"Cheer up, Lu-chan!" Levy scolded from the bed, sitting up now. I giggled at the serious look on her face.

"All right. Let's go!"

She followed me out, and we made our way through the crowded streets to several of my favorite boutiques to shop at.

It wasn't that I hated shopping. It's just, after the seven years, prices had gone up on everything and missions where I actually got to keep most of my pay were few and far in between due to Natsu and his habit of destroying everything in his wake, the idiot. What pay I did get, went to my rent. Thankfully, with our guild winning the Magical Games, I had a hefty sum of Jewels. Rent was paid up for another couple of months, and I did need to update my wardrobe. Especially after the landlady went through my things.

I shuddered, thinking of her wearing my clothing. It wasn't a pretty sight.

I modeled for Levy, and she was brutally honest in whether I looked good in the outfit or not. In addition to the dress I would be wearing for the date, I bought some other outfits I could wear while on missions and some for my lazy days. I even bought a training outfit that looked especially cute.

When we were finished, we ate some festival food, and parted ways afterwards.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Before I knew it, it was time for the date I'd made with Braxton. I had just finished applying the last bit of my makeup, checking my appearance a couple of times to be absolutely sure I looked okay, and I sauntered out of the bathroom, stopping short at the sight of my pink haired partner occupying the couch. My breath caught in my throat at the sight of him.

"Eh!" I scowled, blushing furiously. I hadn't been expecting to see him at all! The pink haired idiot grinned and basically tackled me in a hug. "Natsu! What are you doing in my apartment?"

"Me and Happy just got back!" I could hear him sniffing me, sneezing when his nose picked up the scent of my perfume. He pulled back, putting some distance between us, holding his nose. Blinking, he gapped at me, openly looking me up and down, "Eh, Lucy, why are you dressed like that?"

"Oh, this? I'm going out," I replied, slipping on my heels - I didn't really want to elaborate on the fact that I was going on a date. In the past, he'd had issues with any guy who has the guts to ask me out, stating that most if not all were jerks and didn't deserve the light of day, let alone my time. It wasn't like he would rather it be me dating him or anything. His feelings were purely platonic. My keys I slipped onto a bangle and wore on my wrist as I learned better than to go anywhere without them. I'd rather have them on hand and not need them, than to need them and not have them.

"Where?"

I stood, rounding on him. "What's with the interrogation?" I placed my hands on my hips, scowling at the dragon slayer before blurting out, "If you must know, I'm going on a date."

"A date." The tone of his voice told me that it wasn't a question, and all of a sudden it seemed like the warmth was gone from the room.

"Yes, Natsu, a date." Feeling a bit chilled, I crossed my arms, attempting to subtly warm myself.

"With who?" He didn't sound demanding, but the seriousness in his voice had my defenses up.

"None of your business," I retorted.

He took a step towards me, murmuring, "Lucy…"

"Natsu," I shot right back at him, firm in my decision - I needed to move on. Turning my back on him, I primped in the mirror. Besides, who was he to keep me from dating? He was just my partner. It wasn't like he was my boyfriend or anything. "Now, if you'll excuse me, it's about time for him to get here. You can let yourself out."

I glanced at Natsu through the reflection of the mirror. He wasn't looking at me, but I could tell he was thinking intently from the look on his face. Without another word, he crossed the room and exited through the open window. After a long moment, I crossed the room and closed it firmly shut behind him.

Not a second later, there was a knock at the door. Taking a deep breath, I headed for it.

When I pulled the door open, I was greeted by the sight of a bouquet of lilies in my date's outstretched arms. I smiled, "Hey."

"Wow… you look beautiful." His eyes ran up and down the length of me, finally settling on my face.

"Thank you." I felt my cheeks heat up as I looked away shyly.

"For you," he murmured after a moment of us just standing there. I took the flowers from him, smelling the beautiful bouquet briefly.

"They're lovely." I gave him another smile and turned back to the apartment, continuing with, over my shoulder, "Let me place these in some water before we head off."

"I'll just wait out here," he replied.

"Okay." Rushing, I pulled a glass from the cabinet and ran some water in it to keep the flowers vibrant for as long as I could and set it on the windowsill next to my bed.

XXXX

A short fifteen minute boat ride later, we were at the restaurant and seated next to the window thanks in part to my recognition as a part of Fairy Tail. We didn't want to walk because the festival was still underway, and it would have taken much longer to reach our destination trying to navigate through the busy streets, so Braxton borrowed his boat from the docks and brought us here. After ordering our food, we were left alone, candlelight flickering from the numerous beautiful centerpieces hovering over the tables.

"So…." I shifted in my seat. He leaned forward, taking my hand in his. I blushed instantly at the intimate contact.

"So… How do you like your guild?" He asked, and I was thankfully able to ignore the butterflies assaulting me.

I couldn't help the small smile that appeared. "Fairy Tail? It's amazing. I love it. It's like a second home to me…"

"But?" I sighed. I'd hoped he wouldn't have caught onto the waver in my voice.

"Lately, I was beginning to feel like I was nothing more than a replacement for Lisanna, though. She's the youngest Strauss sibling." There was a flash of red and the glint of something shiny outside, and I turned to see what it might have been. I quickly determined it to be a trick of the light or just my imagination since nothing seemed to be there. With a frown, I continued, turning back to look at Braxton. I don't know how I could open up to him so easily, and especially about this—I continued anyway. "She had been missing when I joined the guild and years ago we finally found where she had been." I will not cry. I will not cry! "It feels as if my friends barely speak to me anymore, and my partner goes on a lot of missions with her now."

He placed his hand on mine, squeezing gently. "I don't think anyone could ever replace you Lucy." I giggled, and flashing him a smile in thanks. "Speaking of the years, what happened to you guys? You disappeared. It was all over the papers for the first few years and then it gradually died down."

Biting my lip, I leaned back, slipping my hand from his. We hadn't told anyone what had really occurred on the Island but I wasn't going to lie. "We were trapped… a spell kept us frozen in time for seven years."

"Sounds serious." It wasn't everything, but it would do as the explanation he would get.

"It was." I rolled the napkin around in-between my thumb and pointer, sighing wistfully. "So much has changed in all this time."

"Not as much as you think." Blinking, I opened my mouth to ask him what he meant by that when the waiter appeared.

"Sorry for your wait. Here you are." Our waiter placed the glasses on the table and began to pour our wine for us. When they were both full, he placed the bottle in a bucked full of ice and let it go. Normally, it would have crashed to the ground... but this wasn't a normal restaurant. It hovered a few inches above our table, off to the side a bit so it wouldn't be in our way. This restaurant had pulled out all the stops… No wonder it was so popular.

We both took a sip of the wine, smiling at one another before he began again.

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"Well… I do have a sister." I answered before I thought about it. I loved Michelle, but she was a soul trapped doll, and how would I explain that I thought of a doll as my sister? But she had a soul, damn it. Avoiding his eyes, I looked around the restaurant at the other patrons before my eyes were drawn back to him. "Her name is Michelle, she's a few years younger. What about you?"

"I have three brothers." He grinned. "We all work at the docks."

"Really? Did you ever want to do anything else?"

"Nope. My father did it all his life, so did his father, his fathers' father, and so on for as long as we can go back in the family history."

"Oh." Well… Taking another quick sip of the wine, my eyes were drawn to the window again and I nearly spat out my drink.

"So, what's it like?" He suddenly asked, after a moment of silence.

"Hm?" I asked, tearing my eyes from the window. I could have sworn I saw a flying cat… My eyes narrowed. I swear to Mavis….

"Magic."

"Magic?" Blinking, I focused on what he was asking. Heaving a sigh, I tapped my finger against my lips, pondering. "It's… amazing. I get to go on so many adventures and travel all over the Earthland. I meet so many people," I paused before adding, "But it can be dangerous."

"Dangerous?"

I nodded my confirmation, "Well, some of the people who can use magic use it for the wrong reasons. They steal, terrorize, kill. My guild, well, we are normally hired to stop people like that."

He shook his head. "I'm glad you guys don't use your magic for stuff like that. What kind of magic do you have?"

"I can summon spirits." I smiled, thinking of them all. I had ten of the zodiac keys, and several of the silver keys.

"Spirits?"

"Of the constellations. They're my friends too."

He opened his mouth to continue, but the waiter had arrived with our food. We made a little more small talk as we ate. And though I had been the one to ask him out, he refused to let me pay for the meal. I held onto his arm as we walked back, since we were right next to the docs, I didn't think he should have to boat us to my apartment and then come back to dock it before heading home himself. And besides, the streets weren't so full right now since it was dark and most of the kids that had been out with their parents had to be in bed. Most of the people left lingering about were couples giving the walk back to my place a bit of a "romantic" feel.

We didn't speak much during the walk. I was kind of grateful for the comfortable silence, but my mind was raging on the inside. While I might have been the kind of girl people assumed had a bit of "experience" with men, I didn't have much to go by. Every time we passed a couple kissing, my face got hot. I couldn't help but wonder: what would it feel like to kiss Braxton? Would his lips be soft? Would they be chapped and slobbery? . . . Ew. Would they be hot and demanding?

I couldn't help but think of Natsu at that. I knew a kiss with Natsu would be warm, inviting... probably a little inexperienced. He wasn't the type to be kissing a lot of girls... at least he didn't seem like it, though for all I knew, he and Lisanna could be practicing together. I doubted it though. He would have told me he and her were together... wouldn't he? I forced the thought of anything involving a certain pink haired dragon slayer out of my head. Braxton. I was on a date with Braxton!

When I finally left my inner world, we turned onto Strawberry Street. A few more feet, and we were at my stoop.

I took a deep breath and faced him. "I had fun tonight."

"Would—Would you like to do this again sometime?" Instead of giving him an answer, I placed my hand on his arm and leaned up to kiss him.

"As much as I love to listen to two love birds carrying on, I think I'll have to interrupt." A masculine voice came from behind me, jolting me away from Braxton, my lips mere centimeters from his own. I whirled around just as he was stepping out of the alleyway beside my apartment, frowning.

He wasn't a familiar face.

"Eh? Who are you?" I demanded. If he was sent here by Natsu... so help him!

"That doesn't matter. All you need to know is you're going to die."


	3. Chapter 3

At the threat, I grabbed at my keys - his mouth was moving, and I couldn't really hear what he was saying, but I knew he was preparing a spell. The air around him was shimmering, preparing for the magic. Glaring, I took hold of the first gold key my hands could grasp and started summoning the spirit connected to the key. Taking a quick peek at the key, I began to summon Taurus.

"Open, gate of the -" When a ball of fire appeared, he sent the attack at Braxton. With a gasp, pushed him out of the way, knowing Braxton had no magic in which to defend himself. "Braxton!" I screamed.

We fell to the ground in a heap, the flames barely missing us.

Without any warning, a bright light appeared in front of me, and I knew Loke had sensed my plight, coming to my rescue.

"Your fight is with me!" Loke growled. I could feel my magic draining a bit when he powered up, ready to defend me.

"Keh," was the reply the man gave him. I couldn't truly get a good read on his expressions or what he could possibly be thinking because he was wearing a trench coat, the hood covering his head. All I could really see was his mouth.

"Loke…" I was grateful at his ability to force his gate open. Scrambling to my feet, I knelt down and helped Braxton up.

The spirit in question turned to my date, an ever so serious look on his face. "I need you to listen very carefully. Run to Fairy Tail and get help."

"R-Right." Braxton nodded and took off. I could only hope he would be able to get help in time because I wasn't sure how long I could hold this guy off. Turning back to the man who'd attacked me and my date.

"Regulus Punch!" With a burst of bright light, Loke went in for the hit, smirking when the punch landed. The man went flying back, landing on his back several feet away and I frowned. That had been too easy.

After a moment, it seemed like the guy wasn't going to get back up when it started. Low at first until his laugher was all but ringing in my ears.

"That's it? That's all you can do?" He slowly picked himself back up, giggling. "This is going to be easy."

Flames appeared behind him before they rushed at Loke, about half splitting up and headed for me. Eyes wide, I found myself rooted to the spot, and braced for impact because the thought of diving out of the way didn't even cross my mind.

XXX

It was muttering that awoke me. I swear if Natsu broke into my apartment again … He could at least have the courtesy to shut the hell up and let people rest. Sheesh. Frowning, I moved to sit up. Immediately, my body protested against the movement ."Ugh. I hurt everywhere." Scowling, I blinked the sleep from my eyes and moved to stand. It was then that the whiteness of the room alerted me that I wasn't in my apartment. "Where—."

"Lucy! You're awake!" I blinked as the youngest dragon slayer rushed into the room, practically glomping me. My arms encircled her unconsciously as I hugged her back. I was in the guild infirmary?

"You're lucky to be alive," Porlyusica informed me as she walked into the room. My eyes widened considerably.

"Eh?"

"It wasn't that serious. She's over exaggerating Lucy-nee." Wendy replied, snuggling into my embrace. After a moment, she pulled back to look at my back, moving some fabric up, her fingers feather light to the touch. "You'll not scar, though the skin will be tender for a while."

"What happened?" I asked. I mean, I remember the attack, but not much else after Loke appeared.

"After Braxton arrived, Natsu, Erza, Grey and Gajeel rushed to help You and Loke, but when they appeared, the guy ran off." I nodded my head as she spoke, allowing the information to soak in.

"Is Braxton ok?"

She nodded. "He's been here almost every day with flowers for you." At first this information makes me smile, until Wendy's words seeped in.

"Days? How long have I been out?" I asked, frowning.

"About three days," was the reply.

I blink. "Three days!" I slipped out of the bed then, standing with my hands on my hips. I noticed immediately the hospital gown that was covering me. I felt the draft immediately from the open back portion of the flimsy fabric. "Why didn't anyone wake me?"

"Natsu tried, but Porlyusica threatened to c-castrate him." Wendy blushed from speaking about male genitals. Even though Wendy was older now, she was still so pure. "At least you had some time to heal."

"That's true." I winced at the tugging feeling from the tender skin. I look out of the window, noticing it was quite dark out. "So, where is everyone?"

"Well, Natsu, Grey, Juvia, Happy, Erza and Lisanna went on a mission." This saddened me a bit, but what could I expect? Of course my friends were going to move ahead without me; they had money to make and I was out of commission for a several days, and didn't know when I'd awaken... though you'd think they'd be by my side waiting for me to wake. "Gajeel, Levy, and Lily are waiting for you back at your apartment."

"Why?"

"Dreyar will explain it," Porlyusica replied.

I nodded. "All right. Thank you Wendy." They left the room after Wendy placed a set of clothing on the bed, allowing me to change from the gown. After all, it wouldn't do to trounce around in such clothing. It took me a few minutes to change due to the pulling of my back. I winced several times in the process of changing into my shirt. Thankfully I still had a bra and panties on. When I was finished, I headed out of the door, making my way for Master's office immediately. I didn't want to stay here too much longer, I wanted to go home!

The door was open just a crack, and I knocked briefly before stepping inside. He was alone, working on something at his desk.

"You wanted to see me?" I asked.

"Ah, Lucy." He smiled at the sight of me, setting his pen aside and gave me his full attention. "It's good to see you finally awake. I hope you're feeling better?"

"Thank you, I am."

"I've been thinking about it and because we don't know when this man will strike again, we think it would be better if we had someone with you at all times." He got straight to the point, searching my face for a reaction.

"You mean like a guard," I frowned.

"Basically." From his tone, I knew there was no room to argue. His decision had been made. I guess I was too weak to defend myself.

"I... I guess that's all right." I will not cry. I won't.

"Good. Right now, Natsu is away on a mission, but since he's your partner, he's going to be with you until we get this guy. Until he returns, some of the others volunteered to stay with you."

"Right." I nodded my head, only half listening to him. When he was done explaining everything to me, he walked me to the door, and I say goodbye before slowly making my way to my apartment with Mira accompanying me. The journey is silent, which I am grateful for.

When the building was in sight, I let her go back home. I knew nothing was going to happen in only a couple of feet. With a sigh, I shuffled my way up the stairs.

I placed the key in the lock, and the door swung open silently. My blue haired friend was busy reading one of my novels while Gajeel was currently rummaging through the fridge. Lily was curled up on the couch alseep already.

"You just made yourselves at home, neh?" I asked, leaning against the doorway, staring at the group. They both freeze, startled to hear my voice.

"Lu-chan!" Levy abandoned the novel and rushed into my arms in a matter of seconds.

"Bunny girl," Gajeel greeted, carrying his armload to the table.

"I'm so glad you're better, Lucy." Levy whispered, clutching at me. "I was so worried."

"I'm fine, I promise." I gave her a strained smile.

"Let her go, short stuff. You're suffocating her," Gajeel replied through a mouthful of whatever it was he was eating.

"Right. Sorry, Lucy," she replied, blushing.

"It's fine." I smiled, and looked longingly at the bathroom door. "I do need a bath."

"Glad you finally noticed," Gajeel snickered, earning an immediate scolding from Levy.

"Gajeel!"

"Jackass," I muttered, stalking across the room.

"Gihihihihi," his laughter came. I shook my head and slammed the door shut with a small smile on my face. I knew he was only teasing.

As soon as the door was closed behind me, I was stripping off the clothing Wendy had given me off. I felt hadn't bathed since before my date, and I'm sure no body bothered to sponge bathe me.

Thank Mavis I hadn't seen many more people on the way here. It wouldn't do to get a bad reputation for smelling.

The hot water was turned all of the way up, steam from the running water fogging up the mirror. When it was filled about mid way, I stepped in, gasping at the heat. I ignored it, and sunk into the depths. My body would adjust soon enough. I was careful not to allow the hot water to reach too high up against my back. I didn't want to feel the pain that was sure to come if I even dared allow the tender skin to feel the heat of this water.

I grabbed the bottle of soap and began lathering up both my hair and body, scrubbing at them both until I felt like I had gotten rid of all of the accumulated grime.

When I was finished in the shower, I dressed in my robe, careful to tie the fabric tightly shut. When I peeked out, steam quickly dispersing out, Gajeel was asleep on the sofa, Levy on the bed against the window. A chair had been pulled up to the wall, some pajamas on the seat.

I smiled, grabbing them and quietly clicking the door shut behind me to get dressed.

XXX

The following morning, I awoke bright, early and rested. Gajeel and Levy were still deeply asleep when I found myself padding across the room to fix breakfast. I was careful to make too much noise because I knew how sensitive the dragon slayers ears were.

It was when the sausage was frying, and the table was set for all four of us that Levy and Lily began to wake up. I smiled, setting a bowl of cut up kiwi at one end for Lily. He smiled his thanks, quickly honing in on the fruit.

Levy was yawning, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes as I was finishing up the plates.

"Want to go to the guild?" I asked, beginning to cut up my own eggs, rubbing my toast with butter.

"Yeah. Let me just wake up sleepy head over there," she replied, stumbling to the couch. "Gajeel." She poked him, eager to get a response. She poked him again, and his arm went around her, dragging her into his embrace. He snuggled against her, Levy fighting to break free. "Gajeel!"

I giggled and shook my head at the sight. They weren't the usual couple, but they were perfect for one another. I could only hope to find my perfect match.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

The walk to the guild was full of laughter as Gajeel attempted to subtly flirt with the blue haired solid script mage - he just wasn't subtle at all. During our journey beside the canals, I looked through the various men working, but didn't spot Braxton among the bunch. I was a bit disappointed, but I forced it away because I could always go looking for him later, and focused on my nakama. They were so cute together.

When Levy first told me of how she felt for the iron eating dragon slayer, I was surprised to say the least. After all, she was very intellectual, and Gajeel was brute strength, but from what she'd been telling me, I could definitely see him liking her in a romantic light. After she informed me of this, I took the time to look at them, really look.

Levy and Gajeel were perfect for one another, and it was so obvious. I saw how they interacted, and I'm surprised no one else noticed this... well, Mira probably did, but most likely nobody else. After all, most of them were caught up in the nonexistent love triangle between me, Natsu and Lisanna.

I shivered from a brief chilly wind, wincing when my back pulled. My back was still sore from the fight, but I was mostly able to ignore it. It was virtually nonexistent now. I following closely behind the pair as we walked into Fairy Tail.

It had been rowdy and full of life and laughter upon entry, but the second I'm noticed and my name is whispered, there is an immediate silence. I freeze like a deer in headlights as all eyes turn to me. It made me feel like I was being left out of something and had me wondering if they had been talking about me. But who am I kidding. They had been. I mean, I'd been attacked out of the blue a couple of days ago for no reason I could think of.

Levy, Gajeel and Lily had already abandoned me, seeking refuge in the corner they usually sat in, and I bit my lip, looking for a familiar pink haired dragon slayer.

I spotted him with Erza, Gray, Lisanna and Happy. They hadn't seen me until Erza looked towards me, and nodded her head in my direction. They all turned around, freezing upon spotting me, except for Happy.

"Lucy!" The blue exceed shouted. Seconds later, he's in my arms, snuggling into my chest, tears streaming down his face. I'm startled for a moment before I wrap my arms around his body, cuddling him to me. I hadn't expected that kind of reaction from him. He normally teased me until I was making threats against his life... but I did care for the talking cat.

"Happy, I missed you too." He nuzzled into my neck, sobbing.

Happy and I teased one another a lot, but I still loved the blue exceed. It was a weird day for me to not see him or hear him telling whoever would listen how much I Liked Natsu, only when he said it, the like bit was long and drawn out to torture me.

"Are you okay?" He asked, his voice muffled.

"Yeah. I'm fine." Still holding Happy, I walk over to my nakama. They were watching my every move as I stopped just short of the group. Slowly but surely, the rest of the guild went back to normal.

"So, what have you guys been up to?" I asked.

"We just got back from a mission," Gray informed me. I nodded, smiling. I already knew that, because they hadn't been by my side when I woke up yesterday.

"I heard. Did you have fun?" I asked, rubbing Happy's back in small, soothing circles.

"We got to kick the snot out of some guys terrorizing a town," he replied.

"That's good." Natsu opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted.

""Everyone, if I could have your attention please?" Mira called out. She stood in front of the bar, Freed beside her, blushing heavily. "Now that all of our precious nakama are here, I'd like to make an announcement."

"I wonder what this is about," I whispered, looking towards the takeover mage.

"Freed and I are getting married."

"Eh?!" It came from the collective audience, myself included. I mean, I had suspected she and Freed were together, but I didn't know things had progressed so fast! He gave her looks all of the time, and I caught her blushing more than once when he was about, but I had not a single clue that they were together, let alone so in love that they were getting married. I felt totally left out of the loop on this one! I mean, I hadn't been expecting it at all.

"Nee-chan!" Lisanna was running over to her sister, eager, I'm sure, to get details from her. Most of the guild surrounded them, shouting questions. They were the first to get married since we'd come back from Tenrou Island.

I nodded, placing Happy on the table in front of Natsu. He and Erza were still at the table, waiting until the crowd dispersed to congratulate the couple, I assumed. I would congratulate her later, right now I had someone I needed to see. I turned to my pink haired partner, asking, "You coming?"

"Eh?" He blinked in confusion.

"You're supposed to be my guard, right?" I asked, thinking back to what Master had said.

"... Right." He nodded after a moment.

I smiled, touching his shoulder. "And right now, I want to leave to see Braxton."

"Braxton?" His tone told me he was still confused, and I sighed. My eye twitched, but I kept my temper under control.

I took a deep breath before replying, "My date from the other night you ash for brains!" Okay, well, I had most of it under control.

"Oh!" He scratched the back of his neck and after a moment, he replied, "Nah... I don't want to."

"Fine." I nod my head and reply over my shoulder as I walk back towards the guild doors, "I'll go by myself."

"Lucy, you can't-" Erza began following me but I cut her off quickly.

"Natsu doesn't want to go with me and I need to see Braxton." I almost out of the door, but I knew Erza wasn't happy.

"Natsu..." Her tone sent shivers down my spine and she wasn't even directing it at me.

"I'm going!" Natsu was quickly by my side. We left the guild hall without any more trouble, but he was sulking, trailing behind me by several feet. Normally, he was all excited, but then that was usually from a mission. I couldn't see why he was so upset about going to see Braxton. We walked in silence for a good while, almost making it back to town when he finally spoke up, turning towards me. "I don't see why we have to go see him."

"Well, I need to have a private conversation with him," I replied.

"About what?"

He was so nosey. "Noneya," I replied, looking over my shoulder at him. He looked away as soon as our eyes met.

"...Why do you even like this one?"

I stopped walking, and waited until he was caught up before falling in step with the fire eater. "He's... nice."

"Nice, huh?" He snickered, and I glared at him.

I shook my head at his logic. "What's wrong with being nice?"

"Nothing."

"I don't see why you're acting like your jealous or something."

"I'm not jealous!" He replied, his cheeks going pink briefly before he stopped in his steps which caused me to stop too. His arms were crossed, and he was glaring at me.

I lifted a brow at him. It was beginning to become irritating how he would get all worked up because I was seeing someone. I mean, it's not like he tried to snatch me up for himself whenever I was single! His mixed signals were driving me insane! "Uh-huh."

The rest of the journey was full of tense silence. Thankfully, it didn't take too long to reach the docks. Natsu was silently stewing, seeming to grow angrier with every step we took in the direction of my destination. The air around us was becoming hotter and hotter, and I found myself sweating.

I knew it was because of him, but he'd get over it. If it became too unbearable, I could just order him to put some distance between us. I was pretty sure the guy wasn't going to attack again while I was with someone else anyway... or again. He had to have me mixed up with someone else. I mean, I couldn't have done something to make someone want my head that badly, could I?

As we walked the pier, and I searched for Braxton, I finally found him, carrying some rope towards a boat. Smiling to myself, I lifted my hand, about to call out to him, when a wave of doubt hit me. What if he was too scared now? What if he didn't want me around anymore… I thought about turning around and just leaving, but he had already turned and spotted me. It wasn't hard, since I was probably the only woman around.

He dropped the rope and walked towards us. I turned and shooed Natsu away, who begrudgingly put some distance between us so Braxton and I could have some privacy. "Lucy?"

"Braxton…" I rubbed my arm sheepishly as he came to stand before me.

His face was unreadable, and a pit of despair began to coil in my belly. Butterflies assaulted my stomach as he started, "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be resting?"

"I'm fine." Biting my lip, looked down at the dock, unable to face him and his rejection. "I just wanted to say thank you... and I understand if you think it's too dangerous to get involved with me."

He frowned. "What? I'm not going to be scared off anytime soon."

I smiled, asking, "Really?"

He smiled. "Yeah. I wasn't allowed in the room. Some pink haired guy refused to let me in." When he eyes flickered to where Natsu was standing, anger raged through me.

"I'm going to kill that ash for brains idiot," I muttered.

"So, Lucy. I was hoping we could maybe start over again…" Braxton began, turning my attention from Natsu and the homicidal thoughts running rampant in my head.

"Another date?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yeah."

"Alright. I'd like that."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

The past week had been a busy one. Ever since Mira's announcement, the guild had been full of excitement and preparations for the wedding and I myself had a very important part in her wedding—bride's maid. That meant wearing a hideous dress that would probably never see the light of day again and having to stand in front of the whole guild while she and Freed read their vows.

Today, we were looking for dresses, both bride and bridal party. There were only a few shops in Magnolia that specialized in weddings, and before I knew it, we had already visited half of them. The first two were just not up to standard. After all, this is Mirajane we're talking about. This was the third shop in under two hours.

Today was the only day Mira could get us all together until it would be too late for her to order our dresses, due to missions. We had to not only find the dress, but we also had to make sure everything would fit perfectly on all of us, so in some cases it meant that we might have to have some minor adjustments for height or bust sizes.

"Lucy, what do you think of this one?" A dress was shoved into my face by Erza.

I looked at the dress briefly. It was short and pink. "It's cute."

"Good, put it on." Sighing, I took the dress and shuffled towards an empty dressing room.

Erza walked off to give dresses to the other girls while Mira and Lisanna browsed the wedding dresses. Mira wanted to make sure we all had a dress before looking for her own. She only insisted that they all be of the same fabric and similar length. We were vastly different in looks, so the coloring choice was up to us. We just had to make sure we didn't look like a circus, is all.

After changing into the dress, I checked out my appearance and knew this was the one for me. Smiling to myself, I exited the changing room with the dress still on so Mira and Erza could make the 'final' decision, comparing all of us to make sure we didn't clash.

Because I was the first one done, I took a seat on one of the couches in the midst of all the activity. Mira and Lisanna were on the floor above us, but that still left a good portion of women downstairs, myself included. Thankfully the shop owner had closed the store so we could do this all at once and not have to deal with the hassle of the public too.

I smiled in relief as my blue haired friend exited her own dressing room.

"So, are you going to invite Braxton to the wedding?" Levy asked me as she tugged on the dress she'd been given.

"I don't know… maybe." I shrugged. I was a little iffy about Braxton right now. I didn't want to put him in harms way, with that man still after me... not that he'd been seen lately. A smile stretched my lips as I turned the question around on her, "You plan on attending with Gajeel?"

Instantly, she flushed. "Lu-Chan!"

Giggling, I replied, "I'm just asking."

Huffing, she plopped down next to me. "…I don't know. He's been acting weird lately."

"Weird how?" I cocked my head, thinking of all the times I'd seen them together. It seemed like the same old, same old flirting/I'm too chicken to admit I like you bit that had been going on for years now.

"He's getting more distant, and I can't tell if it's because he's finally figured out that he doesn't like me or he has found someone else," she murmured, looking to be on the verge of crying.

I sighed, "Levy, he's crazy about you."

"But he still hasn't made a move." I nodded, biting my lip. It's true, he hadn't in all the time I'd known him to like the blue haired script mage. He'd just tease and tease, but never taking a step farther than that. The line between them had been drawn and he seemed rooted at the edge of it.

"Well, you could always be the one to make the first move Levy," I suggested.

Her eyes widened considerably, like a deer caught in headlights. "I… I don't think I can."

"I'm telling you, he's crazy about you Levy," I smiled at her gently, continuing, "Don't be afraid to tell him how you feel."

"I... well, what about you and Natsu?" She asked suddenly.

Flustered, I replied, "What about me and Natsu?" There wasn't a 'me and Natsu' in the first place!

"Why haven't you told him how you feel?" She asked pointedly.

I sighed. "Levy..."

She shook her head. "No, you can't encourage me to confess when you won't even tell Natsu how you feel either."

"It's a different situation," I mumbled. After all, he was probably in love with Lisanna. She was his childhood friend who came back from the dead and the connection those two had... well, I had no doubt in my mind that they were going to be great together.

"Lu-chan... I know you're scared, but I'm telling you, he's in love with you."

I hated when she turned my words against me. Scowling at the blue haired bookworm, I let the subject drop.

We made a little small talk after that, resuming our wait for the others to pick out their dresses. It didn't take as long as I thought, but it wasn't quick either. Erza, Wendy, and Carla made a quick run to get us some food, because it ended up taking several hours of being poked and prodded to make sure we all had a proper fit. Mine didn't seem to need all that much done to it, just the length needed to be shortened a little at the bottom so it ended at my knees.

After the fitting, I asked Erza to walk with me to the docks. Since we had been together already for the dress shopping, she took over Natsu's assignment as 'my guard/protection' until we'd returned to the guild. Though, it wasn't like I'd seen hide or hair of the guy since he'd attacked me, but Master was still insisting I be escorted until we figured out what was going on. He had several of the guild members searching for clues.

Erza didn't ask why I needed to go to the docks, but I think she knew. I was going to ask Braxton to be my date. We still hadn't made plans for another date since I'd talked to him the other day and this way I could kill two birds with one stone. I was firm in my decision to move on, and nothing, not even my idiotic feelings for a certain fire dragon slayer that just won't seem to go away would keep me from happiness. As we reached my destination, Erza held back, giving me the privacy Natsu wouldn't have without threats.

At my approach, Braxton turned, surprise evident. "Lucy?"

I gave him a weak smile and a small wave, coming to a stand still towards the edge of the dock. "Hey, Braxton."

"What are you doing here?" He asked, setting down the rope he'd been coiling, and stood.

Taking a deep breath, I replied, "I was wondering if you'd like to be my date to Mirajane's wedding next Friday."

He blinked at me for a moment before sighing, and stepping out of the boat. "I'm sorry, Lucy, but I have to work."

At the rejection, I nodded. A little disappointed, I murmured, "Oh… well, okay then."

"But that doesn't mean I don't want to go out with you before then," he supplied, giving me a smile, coming to stand just before me.

"When are you wanting to go out again?" I asked.

"Tomorrow?" He asked, and I nodded. I didn't have any plans to take a mission tomorrow, not like Master would even let me with this guy out for my blood.

"Alright."


	6. Chapter 6

To be honest, I wasn't sure if things was going to work out between me and Braxton. He was a great guy and all… but after today, I knew without a doubt he wasn't the guy for me. He didn't spark that passion in me that I so desperately craved and the kiss just proved that I was fooling myself into thinking that we could work.

I hadn't said so, but that kiss... it was the kiss that confirmed my fears. It wasn't like it was a bad kiss or anything. In fact, it had been a great kiss. Not too slobbery or dry, it hadn't been clumsy and he hadn't pushed for more... but there wasn't any fire there between us. I was sure he'd felt that way too, but the smile he'd given me after we parted ways told me I'd have to let him down easy. I wasn't the type to lead someone on when things just weren't going to work out.

Pondering both when and how I was going to break the news to the man, I found myself deep in the heart of Magnolia, not too far from home when a voice rang out. "Ah. Finally by yourself."

Gasping at the voice, I whirled around and fumbled for my keys. Cursing myself for my foolishness, knowing I shouldn't have even allowed this slip up, I began calling on my magic to summon my spirits immediately.

I should have known that he would come after me, but I'd been hoping it had been a fluke. I mean, he attacked me out of the blue almost two weeks ago, and nothing since! Of course, I'd snuck away from Natsu and the watchful eyes of my guild mates because as a grown woman, I didn't need a chaperone for a date.

"Ah, ah, ah." He clicked his tongue at me, wagging his finger as my hands grasped the cool metal of my keys. "Can't have you trying to fight back, now."

Glaring at him, I shouted, "Gate of the Archer, I open thee! Sagittarius!" With a flash, the cosplay dressed spirit appeared, battle stance ready.

"Moshi moshi." Without having to issue the command, Sagittarius open fire on the mage, letting lose several arrows in his direction, but as they neared, he merely shook his head in disappointment as the arrows burnt to a crisp before even touching the man. Eyes wide, I scrambled for another plan. His magic had a fire element to it, and I did have Aquarius. Without hesitation, I closed the Sagittarius' gate and summoned Aquarius.

"Gate of the Water Barer, I open thee! Aquarius!"

The spirit appeared, scowling in the direction of the attacker. "You interrupted my date!" With that, she sent a beam of water at him, which hit the mark. A large cloud of smoke and steam appeared the moment her water touched his flames. As the air cleared, I saw that he was picking himself up off of the ground, brushing off his clothing as if that attack had been nothing. My fingers tightened around my keys.

"Was that the best you got?" He asked, smirking.

"Good luck."

"Where are you going?!" I asked as she started shining, signaling that she was about to leave.

She gave me a large smile, replying, "Back to my date," before finally disappearing. Shoulders sagging, I let out a sigh.

Just as I was about to call on another spirit, a voice called out of no where, startling me. "Nathan!" Blinking, I watched as a girl, about my age in appearance strode towards us, purpose in her strides. At the voice, the man, apparently called Nathan, stiffened before rounding on her with a snarl.

"You…!" I looked back and forth between the two, tensing. I didn't know if I'd be able to hold them both off... "How did you get here?"

"You honestly think I'd let you go through with this?" She asked with a sigh as she came to a stop between the two of us, her hand clutching what appeared to be a whip?

Things were tense among the three of us, but I wondered who this girl was and what could possibly be going on.

"I will end her, you're just delaying the inevitable," he replied, glaring at the both of us before disappearing in a whirl of fire without a trace.

After a moment, she turned to me, asking, "Are you okay?"

Giving her a one over, I nodded before easing the death-grip I had on my keys. "Thank you for the help back there."

"It was nothing," she replied with a shrug of the shoulders.

"Still, thank you very much." I knew I needed to find out what all she knew, and what better place than the guild? So I decided to offer her a free meal. "How about I treat you as thanks?"

She looked like she was about to reject the offer when her stomach growled loudly. Blushing, she looked away and murmured,"Sure, I am a little hungry."

"Follow me," I giggled, headed in the direction of the guild. Studying the girl as we walked, I had the feeling that she was familiar. I didn't know where it could have been from though. She wasn't like anyone I'd ever seen before. She had dark brown hair and piercing dark eyes that seemed to see into my very soul. She looked very strong, in an Erza kind of way. "So, what's your name?"

"Nashi…," she replied after a moment.

Nodding, I introduced myself. "Nice to meet you, Nashi. I'm Lucy."

XXXXX

"Hello everyone!" I greeted the moment we stepped through the doors. A few murmured hello's were given as the normal chaotic guild went about it's day. I spotted my teammates throughout the building. Natsu was looking over Lisanna's shoulder, at the wedding magazines that were spread out over the table, scratching the back of his head in confusion, Erza sitting across from her, munching on a slice of cake, while Grey was unbuttoning his shirt while talking to Elfman. Glancing at the wide-eyed girl, I said, "Um, just have a seat Nashi." I lead her over to the bar, knowing the others might just scare her off before I could get any information from her.

"O-okay." She followed me hesitantly, eyeballing the guild and it's members as if she'd seen ghosts, she'd turned almost sheet-white in color.

As we took our seats at the bar, Mirajane made her way over with her usual smile, asking, "Who's your new friend?"

"This is Nashi," I supplied when the girl only paled even more at the appearance of the take-over mage. Shaking my head, I continued, "Anyway, I was wondering if I could have the usual?"

"Sure thing, Lucy," she replied, before turning to my companion. "Can I get you anything as well, Nashi?"

"I'd love some fi..." she broke off with a cough, before murmuring, "Chicken."

"Any preference?" Mira asked.

"I love spicy food." Nodding, she turned and headed into the kitchen.

As Mira walked away, I studied Nashi again. Something about her just screamed familiar, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

Instead of letting it bother me, I pushed it out of my mind, and asked, "What guild are you from?"

She appeared startled, and looked away. "Guild? I'm… not in a guild."

"Where are you from?" I asked just before Mira appeared then with our food and Nashi began to almost visibly drool at the sight of the spicy chicken.

"Enjoy." With that, Mirajane left us.

Sniffing the air just over the platter, Nashi sighed and took a small bite out of her food, before murmuring, "Oh, here, there, everywhere." She smiled, as if sensing my irritation at the elusive answers. "I don't like to stay settled for too long."

I sighed. How could I word it? I mean, I didn't want to be abrasive like Natsu, but I couldn't beat around the bush forever. "So, um..."

She took another bite of her chicken, giving me a small smile. "You want to know how I know him, don't you."

The fact that she got right to the point kind of surprised me, but I was thankful that she knew what I was thinking. "Yeah."

"Its... very complicated. I can't really tell you." I sighed audibly, and she turned to me, hesitantly touching my shoulder. "I know I haven't given you any reason to trust me... but you can."

It was true, I had no reason to trust her, especially since she had some kind of connection to this man, Nathan, who seemed set on harming me... but deep down, I knew I could trust her. And the fact that I didn't, without any hesitation, doubt her sincerity, scared me. I opened my mouth to reply, but another voice called out, cutting me off.

"Oi! Lushy!"

As he skidded to a halt behind us, I gave him a weak wave. I don't think he had noticed that I'd snuck off earlier, and my heart sunk a little at the thought. "Hey Natsu."

"Who's this?" He asked, leaning towards the girl, sniffing her noticeably. At his appearance, Nashi stiffened, and I noticed small tremors quaking through her frame. "She smells familiar," he continued with a frown.

"Natsu, personal space," I reminded him. The quivering was becoming stronger the longer he stayed within her bubble, and I wondered what was would do if he didn't have the sense to back away. Something told me she'd give him a run for his money.

"But she-"

"Oi! Flamebrain, back off," Grey interrupted, striding over in only his boxers.

"What was that, Icicle breath?"

"You're scaring the new girl, ash for brains!"

"Like you can talk, stripper!"

Shaking my head, I finished up the last bit of my food. I... well, Nashi and I had to speak to master.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

"Master Makarov." At my voice, the older man looked up from his documents and smiled at the sight of us.

"Lucy, ah, it's nice to see you." He then nodded towards Nashi, asking, "And who's this?"

"My name is Nashi, sir," she supplied with a nod of her head.

"Nashi, well it's nice to meet you." He stood then, coming around the desk and stopping just short of us. "Have you come to join Fairy Tail?"

I cleared my throat. "Um... about that. She-"

"It's because of Nathan," she interrupted.

Blinking, Master Makarov frowned, and asked, "Nathan?"

"He's the guy trying to hurt me," I informed him.

All pleasantries were gone then and he turned serious. "What about him?"

She sighed. "I know him... and I want to help you stop him."

"Do you know why he is after my child?" Master asked. It was something I was dying to know too, and I held my breath as I awaited her answer.

She gave him an apologetic smile, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. "I do, but I cannot tell you."

"How do I know we can trust you?" He finally asked. "How do can I be sure you're not trying to trick us and infiltrate us to do his bidding?"

"I would never harm her." The look on her face told me all I needed to know. The very thought of her harming me hadn't even crossed her mind. She placed her hand over her heart, continuing, "You might not know me, or my reasons, but I swear to you, I will make sure no harm comes to Lucy."

After our meeting with Master, he gave Nashi a Guild Mark, because in the end she did want to join Fairy Tail, at least until this whole mess was resolved. We all three thought it for the best, so she could go with me on missions and 'blend in' with the guild without any problems. After I left Nashi with Mirajane to be given a tour, I'd found myself rounding up the members of Team Natsu to inform them of Nashi and her role in everything, so Team Natsu had found itself occupying a corner of the guild hall while we all observed the mysterious girl who was currently being given a tour by Mirajane.

"Is everything alright Lucy?" Erza asked in between bites of her cake.

"It's… fine," I shrugged off her concern.

Her eyes narrowed as she asked, "What's going on?"

I bit my lip wondering how to explain to them without them necessarily finding out that I'd disobeyed Master Makarov, because knowing Erza, she would not be happy.

"Luce?" At Natsu's voice, I sighed.

"I've recently discovered some information about my attacker." At that, they all stiffened. "His name is Nathan."

"And?" Erza prompted, urging me to continue.

"And Nashi, the girl from earlier, plans on helping us stop him."

"Do you know why he wants to kill you?" She asked. Grey and Natsu were oddly silent throughout our exchange. It wasn't like either of them to not speak up like this.

"No… but Nashi does," I informed her.

"Why won't she tell why?"

"I don't know." I shrugged. I was wondering the same thing myself, but I knew she'd tell us when she was ready. It kind of bothered me to not know, but I trusted her. Something about her… I just knew she would never harm me. It was why I decided to let her stay with me too… and I supposed I should inform them of my intentions. Bracing myself, I gave them a weak smile. "Also, I'm… I'm going to have a new roommate."

"Huh?" Natsu blinked at that, brow furling.

"Nashi… I'm going to let her stay with me. I'm sure she doesn't have anywhere else to go, and I do have the room." At the looks that passed through the group, I could tell they didn't like this decision at all. "I know this is going to sound foolish…. but I trust her."

"I don't," Gray muttered.

I sighed, asking, "Why not?"

"She's just… very suspicious to me," he replied, shrugging nonchalantly as he started unbuttoning his shirt.

I shook my head. "She wouldn't have tried to save me if she was in cahoots with that Nathan guy." At the slip up, I winced a little, hoping they hadn't caught it. They still didn't know about the recent attack today, and if I could, they never would.

"We don't know her well enough to trust what she says are her intentions," Erza commented, nibbling on another bite of cake.

"She shouldn't be staying with you, Luce," Natsu interjected after a moment of thoughtful silence amongst us.

Erza nodded, withdrawing the fork from her mouth, and said, "I agree with him on that point. While she might not have given us a reason to not trust her, we still do not know her. It is unwise to allow her to stay with you, Lucy."

"I…" I looked away from them, glancing back at the brunette. She was hesitantly greeting the various members she crossed paths with throughout her tour, stopping to speak with a couple of them at length, more than once the other bursting in laughter at whatever it was she had to say.

Smiling, I looked back to my friends and replied, "Something about her is off, I'll admit. But I trust her."

Gray grunted. "You're too trusting."

Just as I opened my mouth to reply, a voice came from behind me.

"So, how was your date, Lu-chan?" I froze, feeling my heart catch in my throat as I whirled on the bluenette, eyes wide.

Flinching, I asked, "Um, date? What date?" I hoped she'd interpret the look in my eyes as a desperate plea to stop, but she just looked confused and frowned at me instead.

"This afternoon…. You were meeting Braxton?" I shook my head, but the damage had been done. Levy gave me an apologetic smile and made her excuses before abandoning me to my fate. And I knew, I just knew that they were going to figure out that I'd deceived them into letting me alone so I could go on my date in peace.

"I see you've finally decided to see the light, Natsu?" Erza asked.

"What are you talking about?" He asked, frowning at her. Shit, shit, shit!

"You took Lucy to see her boyfriend," she replied, smiling at him.

Natsu gave her a startled look, shaking his head. "No I didn't."

With a frown, she replied, "Yes you did."

"I really-"

"Oh, will you look at the time! I'm tired." I interrupted. Gray gave me a knowing look as he discarded his shirt, tossing it towards the wall. I walked away briskly. "Come on Natsu!"

"Oi!" Natsu called after me, making a mad dash to catch up as I exited the guild. "Lushi, wait up!" He came into place behind me, and after a moment, asked, "What was that all about?"

"Nothing."

"No, what did Erza mean?" He asked, persistent little bugger.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" I shouted before breaking out into a mad dash towards my apartment.

"Oi! Wait up!"


	8. Chapter 8

"You didn't have to-"

I waved her off, making sure to keep my balance as I walked along the edge of the canal, Plue trotting in front of me. "I wanted to, Nashi."

"But…"

I smiled, turning to look at the brunette. "I trust you."

She sighed, and looked away. "It's foolish of you."

"You wouldn't have helped me when he attacked if hurting me was your intention." At least, I hoped so. There was something off about this brunette, but nothing in a sinister manner that had me second guessing my decision to open my home to the girl.

She shrugged. "Still."

"I know. But I'm going out on a limb here," I reminded her as I hopped off of the edge, and we walked up the steps to my apartment.

She nodded. "I know. Thank you…"

"It's not a problem." I unlocked the door, allowing her to walk inside first. "You know, to be honest, I'm not doing this completely selflessly."

"Oh?" She asked, raising a brow.

"Nope." I shrugged, giving her a grin. "I figured, with you here, I don't have to deal with Natsu as much."

She went silent for a moment as I turned on the lights, following me as I walked into the larger part of my apartment that held my bedroom / dining room / living room. As I set my keys at my desk, she finally spoke up, asking, "Do you… do you not like him?"

I paused, before shaking my head. "No, it's not that." Biting my lip, I continued, "He's a great guy and all… I just…"

"You have feelings for him." It was a statement. Why was it so obvious that everyone could see it but him?

"I do." There was no point in denying it anymore. "And so does Lisanna."

"Oh." She looked away, as if lost in thought.

Shrugging, I sat on my bed, pulling a pillow into my arms, hugging it. Plue hopped up onto my bed, sitting… and shivering next to me. "Yeah. They were childhood friends, and he finally got her back. I just… I don't want to get in between them… or ruin our friendship because of some stupid feelings."

She nodded, taking a seat at my desk, pulling the chair out so she could fully face me. "I know what you mean."

Things went silent between us, but nothing felt awkward, at least not on my end. It was more of a thoughtful silence that had me wondering about this girl and her life. I didn't know much, and something urged me to get to know her more. "Do you have any family?" I asked.

She cocked her head to the side. "Family?"

"Yeah. Like a mom and dad? Siblings?"

She flushed, rubbing the back of her neck with a sheepish smile. "Oh. Um, my mom died when I was young, and I never knew my father."

Her words pulled at me, and a sadness seeped into my heart, as I swallowed. "I'm sorry… I also lost my mom when I was little."

She gave me a sad smile. "It's okay. It's been almost a decade now."

"Oh." We went quiet again, and because I didn't want to broach the topic, I switched to another. "So why haven't you joined a Guild before?"

"I did… I used to belong to a Guild before, but…" She broke off, sighing. "It's complicated."

"Do you miss them?" I asked.

She nodded with an enthusiasm that had me thinking of my pink haired nakama. "I do. They were my family."

"Like Fairy Tail for me."

"Yes."

"Why don't you go back?" I asked. From the way she spoke, I could tell she cared for them like she said.

She shook her head, standing from her perch on the edge of the seat. "It's not that simple."

"I'm sure they'd understand," I murmured.

She ran a hand through her hair, looking at the pictures along my wall. "I don't know… things were said…. And choices made…" She turned and looked at me, shrugging. "It just isn't possible right now."

"Oh. Sorry for being nosey," I apologized. I was sticking my nose in her business and I should be treading more carefully.

"Its fine, L-Lucy," she blushed and looked away from me.

The overwhelming need to fidget hit me and I bit my lip. I stood then, switching the pillow for Plue as I moved to stand before Nashi. "Are you hungry?"

"No not really."

"Well, you're welcome to get something if you do later on."

"Thank you."

"It's fine." And now, that awkwardness was starting to creep in, slowly taking hold of me. Clearing my throat, I asked, "Want to watch something?"

"Sure."

"What kind of movies do you like?"

"I prefer romantic comedies."

I giggled, thankfully she had similar tastes to my own. "Really? Have you seen Interwoven Destinies?"

"Yes, it's one of my favorites."

"I love that movie so much."

We fell into an easy pattern as I set up the movie for our viewing.

The rest of the week went by in a flash. Nashi and I went by the guild most days to check in on everyone, and several times Levy or Erza would accompany us back to my apartment to hang out. Natsu was slowly coming around after Nashi challenged him to a spicy food eating contest, easily keeping up with the fire eater, but she ultimately lost the battle.

It turns out that Nashi and I had a lot in common it seemed. She loved to read, even joining in on a debate with Levy and I on occasion about several novels we'd read.

She also knew a lot about astronomy, much to my surprise, inviting me to watch the stars with her on several occasions. When I asked her why, she said it was because it made her feel closer to her mother, which caused me to cry for unknown reasons.

And before I knew it, it was the day of Mirajane and Freed's wedding.

XXXX

"Oh, Mira, you look beautiful!" Levy gushed.

Said take-over mage blushed at the compliment. "Thank you."

"Freed is a lucky man," I informed her from my spot next to the door, feeling butterflies beginning to flutter about in the pit of my stomach.

She nodded. "Mm."

"Are you okay, sis?" Lisanna asked, eyeing the eldest of the Strauss siblings.

"Just a little nervous," she replied as the finishing touches were put in place.

The younger sibling grabbed her hand, squeezing gently. "Don't be."

"Are you ready?" Erza asked, stepping inside of the room. She'd been done with her own outfit for a while, as all she had to do was re-equip it while we had to dress and style out hair and makeup, though with the help of Cancer, the hair took only moments for all of us.

"Yes," Mira replied with a shaky smile. We knew she loved him, but still most people got the wedding jitters on their special day.

With a nod, Erza held open the door and we all walked out of the room into the hall. "Everyone, to your places," Erza commanded as she herself moved to stand beside her escort, grasping his arm firmly in her own. Bickslow swallowed, facing forward at the intensity that radiated from the redhead.

Levy moved to stand besides Gray, who's hands were fumbling with the buttons of his shirt, though Levy was quick to inform him of his actions. Lisanna took Laxus's arm as they moved to stand at the front of the line, giving Mirajane's hand one last squeeze before moving to her place. Natsu eyed me as I moved to stand beside him, hesitant to take his offered arm, feeling the heat radiate through the fabric of his jacket, his scarf securely in place around his neck.

Mirajane stood beside Elfman who was walking her down the aisle to give her away, tears streaming freely from the large man's eyes as he gazed upon his sister. She whispered lowly to him and kissed his cheek as the music began to play.

That was our cue.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

The wedding had gone off without a hitch. Everyone knew better or they were risking the wrath of not just Erza but Mirajane as well. There were a lot of tears shed, mostly by Elfman who'd, after walking his sister down the aisle and taking his seat next to his not so secret girlfriend, Evergreen, started blubbering as they exchanged vows, much to the chagrin of said girlfriend. Juvia was also tearing up, careful not to flood the guild, as she sat with the other guild members, blatantly eyeballing Gray. After they shared a kiss and were pronounced husband and wife, the guild hall was quickly transformed into the reception hall for the wedding with some magical assistance of course.

It was just like out of a magazine, and I was envious of the white haired bride. Everything matched in a beautiful way, with candles floating in the air as the only light source. Within minutes of having transformed the guild hall, all of the women were gathered in a group for Mirajane to toss her bouquet which was caught by none other than a certain solid script mage, angering many of the other hopeful women (though mostly Juvia), while causing the teasing to commence towards the resident iron eater, who turned redder than Erza's hair.

Afterwards, food was brought to us all via magic, settling down on the tables in front of us all. Once getting our fill, some wandered towards the bar, and other wedding activities began that involved a certain garter that was to be pulled up the leg of the girl who caught the bouquet. Not being stupid, the other men backed off when Gajeel started growling. The sight was a scene to behold, as Gajeel's head disappeared under the bottom of Levy's dress. They disappeared soon afterwards.

It wasn't long, like an hour or so, before the music started going, and Mirajane and Freed opened with their first dance as man and wife. Lisanna pulled Natsu onto the dance floor soon afterwards, signaling it was okay for everyone who wanted to could join in.

It wasn't easy watching Natsu dance with Lisanna. In fact, it felt almost as if my very heart was breaking. I knew that soon, very soon, he would be lost to me forever and there was nothing I could do about it. I mean, if she made him happy, who was I to interject my feelings and be selfish? As his friend, I couldn't... I wouldn't do that to him. So, instead of marching up to them and ripping him from her arms, I decided to drown myself in a barrel of alcohol with Cana.

Braxton hadn't been able to come with me because he had to work and I was grateful. He didn't need to see me drowning in my sorrows over another man! He was my ticket to moving on... whenever I could get my head out of my ass and spend time with him. Not that I was sure we'd even work out.

We didn't have the chemistry… I just couldn't feel that spark. It wasn't a perfect fit like I needed it to be. But for now, I'd go along with it, because surely I would grow to care for him as time passed, right?

"Don't you think you've had enough?" Nashi asked, startling me out of my reverie.

"Nope," I replied with a giggle.

She came to stand next to me, a look of concern on her face. "But..."

I shook my head. "I'm fine. Just leave me alone."

"Lucy, you really shouldn't be drinking like this."

"Look, I'm a grown woman. I can decide for myself, thank you very much."

"Fine. Whatever." Watching the pink haired girl stalk off, I sobered up a little. I hadn't meant to be mean to the girl. Honestly, I hadn't… I just… I was a little bitter that the man I loved was falling for some other woman, and there wasn't anything I could do about it. And my feelings wouldn't just disappear like I wanted them to. Why wouldn't they just disappear?

Biting my lip, I looked towards my drinking companion and asked, "Do you think I was too harsh?"

"Oi! He's got a nice one on him, doesn't he?" She asked. She probably hadn't even heard my question, as drunk as she was. The liquor that had been provided for the reception was some good stuff, because after all, Mirajane and Freed deserved the best.

"Who?" I asked.

She smirked. "Laxas, duh!"

"Laxas?" I shook my head with a smile and got up, headed for the doors. All of a sudden it felt like the walls were closing in on me, and a heat wave rippled through my body, causing me to almost break out in a sweat. I needed to get out of here.

"Oi! Lushy!" At the voice, I almost flinched.

With a sigh, I turned to him and replied, "What, Natsu?"

"Where are you going?" He asked, cheeks flushed.

"Home." Turning back to the doors, I was about to walk out when he grasped my hand.

He frowned. "That's no fun."

With a shrug, I replied, "I'm tired."

"Why don't you stay? Have fun?" He pleaded, trying to pull be back towards the center of the guild hall.

I shook my head, pulling my hand out of his grasp. "Look, Natsu, just go back to Lisanna. I'm sure she's wanting to dance some more."

"But-" Without any notice, he cuts off, bowing over, and vomiting at my feet.

"Eww! How much have you been drinking?" I asked, but the only response he gave was to puke again. With a sigh, I rubbed his back as he emptied his stomach. I already knew he'd had a lot, from the drinking contest Grey challenged him too, and then whatever he had been drinking between then and now. After a moment and it seemed like he would be fine, I murmured, "Come on, let's get you home."

"But I wanna stay and party!" He protested, pulling away from me.

Already irritated with him, I shrugged. "Whatever." And walked out of the guild.

I barely made it ten feet when Natsu burst through the doors, calling out, "Oi! Wait for me!"

"Changed your mind?" I asked when he reached my side. I hadn't stopped my brisk walk for him.

"Let's go to your house, Luce!" He declared, pulling me in the direction of the center of the city.

Shaking my head, I pulled my hand from his and I replied, "Not a chance, Natsu. You're not going to be throwing up all over my house."

"But Luce-"

I started walking in the direction of his house, calling over my shoulder, "Come on."

The rest of the walk to his house was quiet as Natsu pouted about not being able to come to my house. He stumbled here and there, but seemed to be mostly fine. As I opened the door to his house, he leaned over my shoulder, pressing against me. At the contact, I felt a stirring in my lower belly. His scent, smoke and cedar, wafted through the air, saturating the whole building, teasing my nose.

"You looked pretty today," he murmured as I moved into the little building to allow him entrance.

"Uh-huh," I murmured.

"Prettier than usual." Mavis, he was drunk off his ass. I knew he wouldn't remember this in the morning, the idiot.

"Yeah." He stumbled a bit, but managed to pull off his shoes without falling. I pulled off his jacket, knowing him it would be rumpled in the morning because he'd just fall into the bed and nod off immediately.

"And you smell good too," his voice deepened suddenly, sending shivers down my spine as he leaned towards me, towering over me.

Swallowing, I took a step back to put some distance between us. "Right."

He just kept leaning forward, invading the air around me, sniffing audibly, "Mavis, that smell..." he broke off as his mouth brushed the skin of my throat.

Eyes wide, I sputtered, "What are you-"

"I love you Lucy," he murmured before claiming my lips with his own. They were soft. Much softer than I would have expected.

Breaking away with a gasp, I looked at the dragon slayer. "Natsu...?"

"Mine," he growled. A shudder passed through me as he closed the distance once more, pulling me into his arms. The thought of fighting this… fighting him hadn't even crossed my mind. Without any hesitation, my hands were tangling themselves in his hair as his own dug into my hips, pressing me closer, closer still to him, his obvious arousal almost burning me through the fabric of our clothing.

"Nats…." I broke off, a hitch in my breath as he leaned down and nipped at my neck, his mouth leaving a trail of kisses in its wake.

"Luuuccce…." his reply was a throaty growl, as he buried his face against my neck, his hands moving from my hips to my back as he grasped at the fabric of my dress, searching for some way of getting it off of me. Pulling back, I reached behind myself, and tugged at the zipper. After a couple of yanks, it was finally down and the dress fell to the floor forgotten, stepping out of both it and my shoes.

Because of the way Natsu was eyeballing them, I also unhooked the strapless bra, freeing my breasts, and it too fell to the floor, atop of my bride's maid dress.

Without a word, he was taking my nipple into his mouth, cupping the other breast. Gasping, I clutched at his shirt, fisting the fabric in my hands as he sucked, his tongue flicking and teasing the tender flesh.

He switched breasts easily, giving them the same treatment as a small moan left me. At the sound, he stilled, making me wonder if I'd done something wrong. He pulled back, eyes heavy-lidded with desire, and without hesitation stripped off his shirt, yanking the fabric over his head and tossing it without another thought.

At the sight of his naked flesh, my heart began to beat wildly. While I'd seen him close to half naked before, it was never in this situation, and it was completely different.

Pulling me into his arms, he guided me back towards his bed, the hammock swinging wildly as he placed me within the snug cocoon, hoisting himself in soon afterwards. For a moment, I wondered if the bed would be able to support the both of us, but Natsu didn't seem concerned at all, and soon I wasn't either when his mouth attached itself to my throat, as he laid atop me. His fingers brushed against my underwear, as he tugged the flimsy fabric aside and explored my nether region.

Gasping, I rolled my hips against his hand as his hands brushed against the bundle of nerves, biting my lip at the sensation that pulsated from it.

"So wet…" he murmured against my throat as he wedged a finger inside my core, tearing a cry from me. "Luucccce…."

Withdrawing his fingers, I couldn't help but flush when he brought them to his nose, sniffing briefly before licking at the sticky substance. He shuddered, eyes closing as he almost… savored the taste of my arousal. The action brought forth a ripple of desire throughout my body.

After a moment, his eyes opened and he smirked at me. I swallowed as his hands tugged my underwear off, tossing them into the abyss that was his house, feeling my face heat up as he eyed the naked flesh. He licked his lips and my eyes widened as I realized a second too late what he was going to do. Instead of cutting off his access, my legs braced the sides of his head as he placed his head against my sex and buried his face against it, suckling my clit.

Letting loose a cry, my back arched of its own violation as he lapped at my sex. "N-Nat…su…." Writhing against his ministrations, I clutched at his hair, desperate for a solid grip to keep me grounded. The moment his fingers penetrated me, I was lost, a quivering mess as an orgasm ruthlessly ripped through me, screaming echoing in my ears.

After what seemed to be an eternity, he finally pulled away, licking his lips for any excess that lingered and pulled at his pants, the fabric giving way easily, freeing his erection. Panting to catch my breath, I moaned as he leaned back over me, bracing himself with an arm as he guided himself towards my opening. When his hard length brushed against me, I shuddered, feeling my legs open even wider to allow him better access. He nudged against my opening, and I could feel the head of his cock twitch as if in anticipation.

Grasping his shoulders, I braced myself as he was rolling his hips, pressing into me. He didn't stop until he was fully hilted inside of me, my inner walls stretching to accommodate the intrusion. There was a brief sting of pain as he broke through my hymen, but it didn't take long for the pain to subside. After a moment, I experimentally wiggled my hips, tearing a groan from Natsu as his eyes snapped open and met mine.

Grasping my hips, he pulled back, almost becoming unsheathed before thrusting forward without hesitation. Every thrust forced out a whimper as the pleasure built within me. He kept his pace agonizingly slow as he captured my lips with his own, murmuring nonsensical words as we made love, striving to reach that brink.

My heart was expanding, filling itself with all the love and feelings I had for this man inside of me, my best friend, nakama, and now my lover.

As the waves built within me, he picked up pace, moving a bit faster as the force behind his movements grew in strength. Breaking the kiss, he buried his face against my neck. "Luuucccyyyy…."

The change in his position allowed him to brush against a bundle of nerves deep within my core, and allowed my climax to give way. Back arching, I screamed out his name, "Natsu!"

A throaty growl was his response as he picked up the pace, slamming himself into me over and over until he too, reached the edge, tensing up over me just as his teeth bit into the side of my neck, breaking the flesh. I could feel the hot liquid of his cum squirting inside of me, deep within the recesses of my sex, until after a long moment, all of his strength left him and he collapsed on top of me, panting against my breasts.

It wasn't long before we drifted off to sleep, with him still sheathed deep inside of me.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

It was the sun streaming in the curtains accompanied by a fierce throbbing within my skull that awoke me. Stirring, I shifted to adjust my position, snuggling into the warmth that surrounded me.

As I laid there, sleep slowly ebbing away, my memories of last night gradually returned until the last ones stuck me like a freight train.

With a gasp, I sat up, or at least tried to. Natsu's arms were wrapped around me, unwilling to budge or loosen his grip in the slightest. I could feel my heart beating wildly in my chest. Oh Mavis! What in the hell have I done? The ability to breathe was slipping through my fingers as tears of frustration swelled in my eyes.

What had I been thinking? More like, why in the hell hadn't I been thinking? I'd just single handedly lost my best friend because I was too damned selfish to push him away. Why hadn't I pushed him away?

But I already knew the answer to that.

Natsu stirred a little, causing me to freeze as my mind racked itself for an explanation, but he only nuzzled against my neck, audibly breathing in the scent before falling back asleep.

After a moment, I felt the briefest lax in his hold and took the opportunity to escape, though the rocking of the hammock almost gave me away as I slid from the cocoon onto the ground below, flinching at the sudden pain coming from in between my thighs. The pink mixture that stained my inner thighs took away what little doubt… and hope that lingered. Another, nagging pain began to make itself known in my neck region, but I knew what it was from.

A blush stained my cheeks—I didn't even want to think about it.

Limping, I made my way towards my rumpled up clothes, frowning when I didn't spot my underwear, but I remembered that Natsu had tossed them last night. Looking around, I couldn't spot the snatch of fabric anywhere.

Cursing inaudibly, because I couldn't risk Natsu waking up, I quickly redid my bra, and wiggled into my dress. I left the shoes off because it would be much easier to tip toe, searching for my damned underwear, barefoot.

They couldn't have gotten far. And they couldn't have been buried under anything…. So, eyeballing the room, I looked for anything out of place, not that the mess was any help. He needed to clean up the house again. It had been a while since I'd last cle—underwear Lucy! Underwear!

Shaking my head, I returned to my search. Time seemed to drag by the longer it took for me to find them, and when it seemed like I might have finally located them, a rustling informed me that a certain pink haired slayer was waking up.

With another curse on my lips, I abandoned all hope of finding my underwear and instead made it for the door.

"Luce?" At the sound of his groggy voice, I stilled, my fingers barely brushing against the knob of his front door. Shit! Turning slowly, I saw that he was indeed sitting up in his hammock, rubbing his face with the palm of his hand, yawning heavily.

Like a deer caught in head lights, I eyed him, my breath caught in the back of my throat. Maybe he'll just go back to sleep. Maybe he'll just think it was a dream, a really realistic dream that just got carried away or some—as our eyes met, black with brown, I could see from the way he froze in mid-yawn that his mind was catching up with last night's events.

Without another moment to spare, I was all but ripping the door open, eager to put as much distance between me and the pink haired fire eater before he could open his mouth and say… something. Anything. Anything that would mean me losing him, which was a for sure thing now, surely.

"Oi! Lucy, wa-" I flinched at the use of my name, he hardly ever called me by it. There was a thud and some cursing but I didn't allow that to break my stride. I was out the door and flying down the path with a speed I hadn't known I possessed… except when possessed.

The trees became a blur as tears swelled in my eyes, hindering my vision as I ran in the direction of Magnolia.

"LUCE! Stop!" I didn't have to glance back to know that Natsu was gaining on me. Damn him and his strength!

"Go away!" I shouted, the muscles in my legs beginning to burn from the strain.

"Stop running, would ya?!" He demanded. I could almost feel the heat radiating off of him, he was so close to catching me.

"Noooo!"

"Come oooonnnn! I just wanna taaaalllkkk!" That last statement had me running even faster. I couldn't allow him to catch up, I couldn't lose him! As a last ditch effort, I suppose, he lunged for me, the sudden weight of his body hitting mine caused me to crash before we – a tangle of limbs - rolled to a stop.

We were both breathing heavily as Natsu detangled himself from me and moved to lean over me as I laid on the ground, rocks digging quite painfully into my back as I tried to catch my breath, though the effort was a waste. The moment our eyes met, I dissolved into tears.

He looked startled. "Luce?"

"Just go away," I sobbed, fists rubbing at my eyes.

He leaned back, sitting on the ground beside me. "I can't."

"Please," I begged, shoulders shaking from the turmoil of emotions pulsing through my body, fear beginning to take root.

"I…"

"I can't…." I shook my head, feeling my ability to breathe starting to dissolve as I tried to force the air in and out of my lungs. I sat up, grasping at my arms. "I can't do this."

"Lucy?"

"Can't we just pretend it didn't happen? I just want to erase the past twenty-four hours."

"But Luce…"

"I don't want to lose you, Natsu. You're my best friend."

"Lucy…"

"You were my best friend and I screwed it up with those damned feelings of mine. I'm such an id-" I was cut off by his lips claiming mine. The feel of those lips against mine, almost bruising as he moved his mouth against mine in a sinful battle of dominance, had my heart near bursting. The implications of this… did it mean everything would be alright?

After a moment, we parted, both breathing heavily as his forehead rested against my own. Our eyes met, though I couldn't read a vast majority of the swirling emotions that shone through. They seemed to be more of a combination of multiple emotions. How I wished I could read him right now. With that signature goofy smile of his, he quipped, "You're a weirdo."

Glaring I pulled away from him, a blush staining my cheeks. Turning my back on the slayer, I asked, "What does this… what is this going to mean between us?"

"You're still my best friend, Luigi." I huffed at the nickname. He pulled on my arm, making me face him as he murmured, "You're not going to lose me."

"Natsu…" It looked like he was going to kiss me again, when the sound of voices broke through our little bubble, freezing the both of us.

"…-anna, I doubt flame-brain is even awake right now." Gray's voice carried as the sounds of their progress around the path carried towards us.

A giggle. "Well, knowing how much you guys had to drink, I know he'll want this." Lisanna. Swallowing, I took a step back from Natsu, putting some much needed distance between us. The thought hit me, would that even matter? Even though it was common knowledge that Natsu had a bad habit of sleeping in my bed, didn't mean that I ever slept over at his place. Ever. And the bite mark on the side of my neck… Oh Mavis!

I don't think I could bare it if it got out what happened last night… least of all, not until Natsu and I talked about it. As if sensing my distress, Natsu started pulling me in the direction we'd come from, his house. I followed him without hesitation, wanting to put as much distance between us and them as possible.

"Natsu, what are we going to do?" I asked.

He stopped short, let out a breath as he frowned. "I… We…"

I blinked, maybe I had hurt his feelings or something? Biting my lip, I began, "I'm sorry… It's that just I don't want-"

He shook his head. "I know, Luce. I understand. We'll be able to talk some other time."

Our hands fell apart and I nodded. "O-okay."

"And Luce?" The sudden huskiness in his voice had my breath hitching as I looked back towards Natsu.

"Yes?"

"I'll be over later." With that, he gave me a quick kiss before hurrying into his house, leaving me alone. Hearing their approaching footsteps once more, I finally went into action, running once more to keep them from spotting me.

It didn't take me long to get to my apartment. Thankfully it was still a little early and there weren't many people out and about to see me, or revel in my walk of shame. As soon as the door to my apartment was locked behind me, I leaned against it, sliding to the floor with a heavy sigh. I was a little surprised that Nashi wasn't in the apartment, but I was a little grateful for the alone time.

First things first, I needed a bath. It was while I was soaking in the tub that it hit me.

I'd cheated on Braxton with Natsu.

The weight of that knowledge stuck me like a lightning bolt, causing me to still. What the hell was I going to do? I knew what I had to do, but I really didn't want to face him. Not now, not so soon… but I had to. Braxton deserved better. I just wish I'd wised up and ended things with him before now because this would always be on my conscience.

After my bath, I dragged through the motions of changing, part of me wanting to put this off for as long as I could. And so, I found myself headed for the docks, in search of Braxton. It wasn't hard to spot him among the others, and I forced myself to walk towards him. Several of the fishermen waved in my direction, causing him to look up from his work, finally spotting me.

"Hey there." At the warm smile, I flinched.

Clearing my throat, I murmured, "Hey."

He paused, his face taking on a look of concern. "Is everything alright?"

I shook my head. "…No, actually."

"What's wrong?" He stepped out of the boat, coming towards me, stopping a foot or so away.

"I…" I looked away, a blush staining my cheeks as shame filled me. Guilt slowly ate away at my conscience as butterflies flew about in a frenzy within my stomach. Taking a deep breath, I continued, "I'm sorry but I think it would be best if we didn't see one another anymore."

He swallowed. "Oh…"

Biting my lip, I fought the urge to place my hand on his shoulder. I didn't have the right to touch him after what I'd done, so I could only offer my apologies. "I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "Don't be." With a shrug of his shoulders, he continued, "If you're unhappy, no reason to stick around."

"I…"

"I had a nice time." Giving me a small smile, he turned away and hopped back into the boat before calling out, "I hope you are happy with him."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Thankfully, the rest of the way home, I didn't encounter anyone. It was still early. I was, however, a little surprised that when I entered my apartment that Nashi was at the counter, nibbling on an apple. I had completely forgotten about her. Upon spotting me, she took one last bite before tossing the core into the garbage. "You never came home last night."

"I..."

"Are you okay?" She asked, coming to stand before me, a glass in her hand.

"I'm fine."

She nodded, and held out the mug she'd been carrying. "Here. I thought you might need this."

Taking the glass, I took a small sip, murmuring, "Thank you Nashi."

"It's no problem," she replied with a blush. "I'm going to go out for a little bit. Do you think you'll be alright by yourself?"

"I'll be fine."

"Okay. Well if you're sure..."

"I'll see you later." Nashi nodded and exited the apartment. After the door was shut firmly behind her, I let out a sigh. She probably knew something happened. After all, I hadn't made it home last night.

With a sigh, I grabbed a change of clothing and headed into the bathroom. While waiting for the bathtub to fill up, I turned my thoughts to a certain pink haired dragon slayer. What had I been thinking? After last night, things had definitely changed. I could only hope for the better. Pushing back the rising fear, I settled into the bath and proceeded to cleanse myself.

When I was finished, I found myself eyeballing the bite mark Natsu had given me. It would be hard to conceal the damned thing, given the types of tops I wore. Maybe if I wore my hair down? With a sigh, I decided to deal with it later, and exited the bathroom.

Walking out of the bathroom, I had a mini heart attack.

"Levy!" I really hadn't been expecting her to make an appearance. She rarely dropped by unannounced, though at the moment, I'd rather it be her than Natsu right now.

Looking up from the book she was reading, she smiled at me. "I'm sorry Lu-chan."

With a shake of my head, I replied, "It's okay. I just wasn't expecting you..."

"I can see that." Closing her book, she marked the page and set it down on the coffee table in front of her.

"..."

"I need to talk to you." That didn't sound good.

Frowning, I asked, "What's up?"

"I think I'm pregnant," she murmured.

I did a double take. I didn't even know she had taken things to the next level with him, and she told me almost everything! "Wait, what?"

"Yeah..."

"Gajeel?" At her nod, I asked, "Levy, why didn't you tell me?"

"I'm sorry. I meant to tell you sooner, I just..."

With a shake of my head, I replied, "It's okay, Levy. What makes you think that you're… you know."

"Well, I was supposed to have my period like... a month ago. I honestly forgot about it. And now Gajeel has been acting… weird lately. Well, weirder." I frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"He doesn't like to allow me out of his sight."

"Like, at all?"

"I had to sneak out of his house this morning while he was sleeping, Lucy."

"That does sound serious."

"I don't think he knows... I mean, I think subconsciously he does, because he's acting more possessive of me now, but I don't think his mind has caught up with his instincts."

"Have you taken a test yet?"

"I bought one," she informed me, pulling out a small box out of her jacket pocket. "I just... haven't had the chance yet."

I pulled her to her feet, ushering her to the bathroom. "Well, get in there! Pee on the stick, Levy!"

"Okay, okay. I'm going," She continued, "And you know, I've been reading up a lot more on dragons and dragon slayers..."

"Yeah?" I could hear her rummaging around as she finished up.

"Yeah, and it totally makes sense because just the other day, a guy bumped into me," she finally came out of the bathroom, carrying the test before placing it gingerly on the table, "I mean, like barely brushed up against me, and Gajeel like almost killed him." At the look on my face, she burst out laughing. "I honestly felt super bad for the guy. He didn't even mean it."

"That's crazy."

"I know!"

Biting my lip, I asked, "So, what are you going to do if you are?"

"I don't know." She shrugged, nonchalant. I could tell, though, that it was bothering her a lot more than she was letting on, "I'd obviously talk to him about it..."

"So... I've got something to confess."

"Hmm?" She looked at me, frowning.

"I..."

Looking at the clock, she held up a finger. "Hold that thought, it's been two minutes."

Meaning, it was time to check the test. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be." We both glanced at the innocent piece of plastic at the same time, registering the result in our minds. Levy gasped, "Positive."

Looking at my best friend, I found myself unsure of what to say. "..."

"I'm going to have a baby?" I could see the tears beginning to form, and immediately took her into my arms. "I'm going to have a baby, Lu-chan."

I brushed her blue tresses back, murmuring, "Calm down. It's going to be okay."

"I hope so. I really hope so."

Thankfully, Levy was able to calm down shortly before Gajeel had arrived, practically beating down the door. After allowing him in, he immediately homed in on Levy, his eyes narrowed. "You've been crying."

She nodded, sniffling, "Yeah."

"What's wrong?" I could feel his magic rising, like he was ready to attack.

"I..." she looked like she was going to cry again, so I cut in.

"Gajeel, you two need to go home and talk." At my tone, he deflated.

He took in the sight of his girlfriend, and I could tell fear gripped him. "Levy?"

She sniffled, before coming to stand before him, grasping his hand in her own. "Come on, we really do need to talk."

"A-alright." He allowed himself to be led out of my apartment. I honestly felt like everything would be alright for the two of them. They were obviously very much in love, and things would work out in the end. How could it not?

XXX

Because I wasn't just going to sit around and wait on Natsu, and the talk he wanted to have, I dressed and took myself to the guild. I didn't like the idea of just sitting around, waiting on him because as more time passed, the more nervous I became. I made sure to keep the bite mark hidden from view, because I really didn't want to have that conversation with anyone.

I figured, if I was surrounded by the guild, Natsu would have to wait for his talk. And it gave me more time to cherish our friendship before it ended, because clearly it went too far.

I was a little surprised to see Levy and Gajeel come inside not too long after I had. With the smile she sent my way, I could only assume things had gone well.

It was even more surprising when Natsu appeared, Lisanna and Gray right behind him. I swallowed hard at the look he sent my way, and the promises it held. Making his way toward where I sat, I held my breath. However, before he could even get a word in, there was an explosion.

Thankfully no one had been standing near that wall.

As the smoke cleared, my heart froze in my chest. Standing on the top of the rubble was Nathan.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

"I don't understand why you have to make this so damned difficult for me,” Nathan snarled as he stalked towards me. Fire appeared without any warning, catching almost everyone off guard as they shot off towards us. Levy had her hands crossed in front of her before she released multiple solid script magic at the flames, water dousing them instantly, turning them into steam.

With a wave of his hand, another wave shot towards us.

Natsu growled, the sound almost animalistic in its intensity. "You....!"

“No, don’t eat them!” Nashi cried, but her warning had come too late as Natsu had already ingested a large amount of the flames. After a moment, he clutched at his stomach, collapsing to his knees, howling in pain. Wendy knelt by his side, already casting a spell to heal the damage.

“Tch.” He didn’t even give Natsu a passing glance as he kept walking towards us, towards me.

My hands had already grasped hold of my keys, and I prepared to summon Aquarius when Nashi moved to stand in front of me, holding her hands out in front of her. "Nathan..."

He stopped walking, glaring at the girl. "Stay out of this woman."

She shook her head, replying, "Nathan, you have got to stop this, please."

Without any warning, she was forced off her feet and into the air by his flames, the tendrils wrapping around her entire body, leaving her immobile. "You'll not stand in my way again."

"Nashi!" I struggled to push past Erza who’d also come to stand in front of me, to reach Nashi, but Erza kept a firm grip on me. “Let her go!”

"What the hell is your problem?" Natsu demanded. "Why are you so dead set on hurting Luce?"

He smirked, turning his attention to me, replying, "She is in my way." He lifted his hand in my direction, palm forward, causing Erza to tense. I could feel her magic pulse as she readied to re-equip.

More flames appeared in front of him, enlarging into a massive ball that, I’m sure, spelled certain death if it struck. Levy, panting from the amount of magic she’d already used putting out the flames from the first wave, crossed her arms again, preparing to put out the fire as Nashi struggled against the hold he had on her, crying out, "No, Nathan, stop this please!"

His head whipped to her, and he snarled, "I've told you, Nathan isn't here anymore."

"You're lying! Nathan is stronger than this! He’s stronger than you!"

He cocked his head, smirking. "Oh really? Is he the one who destroyed your home?"

"..." She looked away as tears dripped from her cheeks onto the flames, small puffs of smoke their only evidence of existence.

"You're not going to hurt anyone!" Gray called out, moving to the front lines, the air suddenly cooler as he prepared his ice-make magic.

“You’ll not lay a hand on Juvia’s beloved Gray-sama!” Juvia cried, pointing at Nathan.

"Wanna bet?"

"Oi." A voice rang through the guild hall, as all attentions turned towards the unidentified intruder. He was tall, with long and unruly blue hair that was pulled back into a ponytail at the base of his neck.

Nashi let out a gasp at the sight of the young man that was climbing through the hole. With his attentions wavering, Nashi was able to break free from the grasp of Nathan’s flames, rubbing at her throat. Nathan gaped at him, "You! How did you..!"

He smirked, “How did I get here? Does it really matter?” He came to a stop before Nathan, glowering at him.

"Are you okay?" He asked, eyes shifting towards Nashi, though he still faced Nathan.

"I'm fine. What are you doing here?" She asked, moving to stand between Nathan and me.

He shrugged, rolling his neck in the process, and cracking his knuckles, replying, "I'm not going to let you do this alone."

Nathan snarled, and more flames appeared, though they took the shape of humanoids, greatly outnumbering us at least three to one. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Nashi tug free the whip she’d kept wrapped around her waist, wielding it with ease.

I knew it was risky, but what choice did I have in this situation. Grasping hold of her key, I called, “Gate of the water barer, I open thee! Aquarius!”

“I’m getting tired of you interrupting my dates!” She scowled, grasping hold of her urn.

“Wah!” Throwing my hands up, I cried, “Aim at him, not me!”

“Hmph.” She turned and shot several blasts of water towards the flaming men, though more were formed from their demise.

Around me, the sounds of a battle, and one we were losing, echoed in my mind. I could see Gray and Juvia struggling to protect Wendy, Carla, Happy, and Natsu as she healed him. Gajeel was protecting Levy, his arm transforming into a pole as he struck out at the fire that surrounded them, Levy weakly crossing her arms to perform more magic, though I could tell she was at her limit. Erza was fighting her way towards Nathan, though she kept getting surrounded.

It seemed as if Nathan had a never ending supply of magic as he called out these flames without any problem and I wondered how in _Mavis_ we expected to beat him. A wave of doubt pulled me under, and I wondered what the point of fighting anymore was? We couldn’t win….

Aquarius kept sending out streams of water towards any that got too close, getting irritated when more just appeared. I could tell she was about to create a tsunami wave to get it over with, when the fight with the newcomer, Nashi and Nathan grabbed everyone’s attention.

The new guy inhaled, his chest expanding as his hands came in front of him in a familiar style as he shouted, "Iron Dragon's Roar!" As he released, the tornado of metal shrapnel tore through the humanoids, dispersing them in the process before striking Nathan himself, who grunted as he was forced back a couple of feet.

To say that I was shocked would have been the understatement of the year. Hell, we all were gaping at him, wondering how in the hell did he share Gajeel’s magic.

Glaring at them, he snapped, “I’ll be back,” before escaping in a whirlwind of flames. Aquarius left as well, glaring at me as she vanished.

It was silent amongst us all when Nashi turned to the guy and hit him in the shoulder. "Axel.... you idiot."

Rubbing his arm, he shrugged. "I'm sick of pussy-footing around with that bastard. And having to hold back isn't helping anyone."

"You know better!" She shouted, causing him and several others to wince at the volume.

"What was I supposed to do, let him kill us?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"..." She looked away with a sigh.

Throwing his hands up in the air, he yelled, "Exactly!"

"We're screwed now!" Nashi snarled.

"How?"

She pointed in our direction, eyes meeting mine for a moment before she looked away, scowling back at him. "What the hell are we supposed to tell them? What fucking excuse do you have that explains your magic?"

"The truth," Master Marakov answered.

"Master Marakov..." she trailed off. My breath caught in my throat at the look she was giving him, and I felt a swell of pity but the truth had to come out.

"We've been patient with you, giving you time, but now it's time to tell the truth." He took a step towards her, shrinking down to his normal size. "Who are you?"

"I... My name is Nashi.” She let out a wavering sigh, before continuing, looking me in the eyes as she spoke, “Nashi Heartfilia."

"Heartfilia?"

"I'm Lucy's daughter."

I was unsure of what I should feel. I whispered, "Daughter?"

"That's impossible!" Natsu growled.

Erza responded, "You're a little old to claim to be her daughter, aren't you?"

She ran hand through her hair, sighing, "I'm from the future. All three of us are. Axel, Nathan and I."

"The future?”

Natsu scoffed. “I doubt it.”

Grey punched Natsu, “Shut it, flame-brain.”

I shook my head as Natsu and Grey began fighting, though Erza was quick to step in before it escalated. I didn’t really care about the mechanics of it right now, so I asked, “Why is Nathan trying to kill me?"

"Because he's my fiancé."

Axel quickly broke in, "Ex."

Nashi sighed. "That doesn't matter."

"It does to me,” he placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it before dropping his hand. I knew something was going on between them from reading their body language. Not to mention his need to inform those of us who were listening that she and Nathan were no longer together.

"Not right now Axel."

He shrugged. "Keh..."

She turned back to me, "Anyway, he's trying to kill you before I'm born because.... because he's unable to hurt me."

"Doesn't look that way," Axel muttered.

"He was aiming for my mom, Axel!" she rounded on him, punching him in the shoulder. With a frown, she turned back, continuing, "Anyway. It's because he's still there... deep down. He can't hurt me because he loves me. It’s why he always tries to keep me out of the fight... and it's why he is trying to kill you."

I frowned, "I don't follow."

"If I'm never born, he won't have anything holding him back. He'll be able to take over all of Fiore.... or Earthland."

Gajeel, whom this whole time had been eyeballing the two of them, finally demanded, "Why does he have my magic?!"

"Gajeel..." Levy placed a hand on his arm, trying to calm him down.

Axel snorted, shaking his head. "Isn't it obvious dufus, I'm your son."

Erza asked, "Who's your mother?"

"It should be obvious," he replied with a smile, and following his line of sight, a certain bluenett was in his sights. Though it did make sense. I wondered if he was the child she was currently pregnant with. And he did take after her, at least his hair did. Long and blue. He was the same height and build as his father.

"Levy?!" Everyone cried, almost shocked.

Taking a chance I asked, "Who's you're father, Nashi?" Surely it couldn’t be… could it? Could Natsu be her father? But that didn’t explain a lot, like why she carried my last name, instead of his. "Please?"

She eyeballed me, frowning, “It doesn't matter."

The others had quieted down, probably wondering the same thing themselves. "Why not?"

"Because he wasn't in the picture,” she muttered, crossing her arms.

Axel sighed, "Tell her."

"Axel...." She looked away.

With a shrug, Axel started, "Her father is-"

Nashi screamed, "Shut the hell up!" Punching him so hard, he crashed into a table.

"Ow!!!"

She huffed. "Serves you right."

He picked himself up. "You're mean."

Shrugging, she replied, "You'll get over it."

"It's magicked by the way,” he informed us, grinning. "Her hair.”

"Axel! I'm going to kill you!"

"He's-"

"You can't!"

At her desperate look, he sighed. "Why not?"

"Did you forget about Iggy? You're best friend?"

"..."

"..."

He finally spoke up, "Don't you think they deserve to be happy?" At the sad tone in his voice, I couldn’t help but wonder who and what he was talking about.

"...! I..." She looked away and absolutely did not look in my direction.

He cupped her face, his thumb brushing against her cheek, "This is your chance, Nashi. Don't you deserve to have a family?"

She teared up, shaking her head. "Not at the expense of his existence."

"Nashi...."

She pulled away from him and glanced at me. "I'm sorry mom... I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble."

Without another word, she pushed through the crowd and left the building. I called after her, my heart breaking, wondering what she was so upset about, "Nashi, wait-"

Axel shook his head, "Just leave her. She'll be fine."

"You don't let nakama-"

He interrupted Natsu, "I think I know her better than anyone here. I know what she needs, and she needs to be alone right now so she can think." Without another word, Natsu stalked away. Torn between wanting to talk to my partner and wanting more information, I chose the second option.

Biting my lip, I asked, "Axel, who's Iggy?"

He looked at me, and I wished I knew what he was thinking. "He's her... brother."

"Brother?" Did that mean I had another child? Wouldn’t it be a good thing? Why wouldn’t he exist? It was all so confusing.

"Yeah."

"I..."

He shook his head. "It's nothing to worry your pretty little head over." Turning away from me then, he called out, "Oi! Mom, pops... wanna figure out whose place I'm staying at?"

XXX

After things had settled down, I found myself getting ready to leave the guild. I had a lot to process, and I needed some peace and quiet to wrap my head around everything.

I didn’t get too far from the guild when I heard, “Oi, Lucy!”

Turning, I wasn’t a bit surprised to see Natsu racing towards me. I swallowed. "Natsu..."

For a moment, he just stood there, eyeing me. After what felt like forever, he muttered, “…. We need to talk.”

Stifling a groan, I asked, “Do we have to?”

At his look, I knew there was no getting out of this. With a sigh, I turned and lead the way back to my apartment.

 


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

As we neared my home, my heart began to beat in earnest, almost in anticipation. It pounded against my ribs and I was definitely sure Natsu could hear it. Was I ready for this?

It could only end in two ways. Either we'd cease to be friends… or we'd be together. After sleeping together, there was no way we could just act like it hadn't happened. It wasn't that I regretted being with Natsu… but in a way I did because it sparked the change in our relationship and I was completely unsure whether or not it was for the better.

I certainly hoped it was for the better. After all, he did kiss me when we parted…. Surely that meant he returned my feelings…

At the sight of my apartment building, I swallowed. With a bit of hesitation, I unlocked the front door and walked inside, taking off our shoes by the door. Walking up the steps, I took a deep breath and turned to the one who had stolen my heart.

"Look Natsu-" Before I could get anything else out, his mouth was on mine, silencing me.

"Shh."

I couldn't find it within me to protest as he drew me towards my bed, pulling me into his lap, straddling him. "What-"

"Luce, you talk too much," he murmured, effectively shutting me up. Once again, his mouth laid claim to mine. As we kissed, my eyes fluttered shut.

I knew this was different. That things were definitely going to change. There was no changing things back after this. After all, there was not excuse this time. Neither of us were intoxicated this time around. We knew what we were doing. We both definitely wanted this. The thought brought tears to my eyes.

I could feel him pull back, puzzled from my reaction. "Luce?"

I opened my eyes, and gave him a small smile. "I…" He cocked his head, waiting for me to finish. "I love you."

His thumb brushed a stray tear away, and he gave me a halfcocked smirk, "I love you too."

With renewed vigor, his mouth brushed against the base of my throat, his teeth nipping at the bite mark he'd given me. It felt at as my heart was to the point of bursting. The fact that he loved me just as much as I did him was everything. He was everything that mattered in the world to me. My love, my best friend, my everything.

I could feel him growing hard beneath me as his hands reached under the fabric of my shirt and brushed against skin, and the knowledge sent a spear of desire straight to my core, drenching my panties. I saw his nostrils flare, and I knew he could smell it, the scent of my desire. Heat began to seep from him, warming the air making sweat begin to collect upon my skin from the intensity.

With a growl and his assistance, my shirt was pulled up and over my head, tossed across the room.

"Gods above, you're beautiful." At the murmured remark, blood rushed to my face. With his mouth brushing against the newly exposed skin, my head fell back with a moan.

"Natsu…"

After a moment, he pulls back and says, "Lay down, Luce."

Blinking, I oblige him. "O-oh. Okay."

Leaning up on my elbows, I watch as he slips his jacket off, swallowing at the sight of the hardened muscles of his arms and stomach. When he was finally stripped bare, he finally moved to lean over me on the bed, pausing over my breasts. Without hesitation, he nibbled my nipple through the fabric of my bra, wrenching a cry from my throat. I arched my back, my fingers getting lost in his pink locks.

With another low growl, he reached behind my back and unclasped the bra, tossing it before lavishing several minutes of attention on the pert peaks. I couldn't help but grind my hips against him, wanting-no-needing more. I needed him inside of me, stretching me, filling me with his hard length.

Dragging him back north, I began tugging at his pants.

"Eager?" He asked, grinding back against me in earnest.

Blushing, I growled, "Shut up!"

"Don't worry, Lucy. We'll get to that in a minute." Looking me in the eyes, he informed me, "I plan on enjoying every moment of this."

Sitting up, he hooked a finger in the band of my shorts before tugging them off over my hips, letting them fall to the ground, before pulling my underwear off as well. Bunching them up in his hand, he took a large whiff.

"W-what are you doing?" I sputtered in amazement, embarrassment eating away at me.

When his eyes found mine, pupils so dilated I couldn't even see his irises, I swallowed. "They smell good."

Crouching down, his tongue delved into my dripping core, wrenching a throaty cry from me as I dug my fingers into his hair, "Na-Natsu!"

And then I could feel it, his tongue was inside of me, his fingers pulling me towards him, eating me out with gusto. When I finally came down back to earth, my legs quivering from the force of my orgasm, I noticed he was next to me on the bed. Before I could open my mouth, he was grasping my hands, and pulling me on top of him. I found myself unsure of what to do. With a grin, he reached between us, his fingers finding the sensitive bundle, teasing me with his feather light touches. With a gasp, I leaned down and captured his lips with mine.

Overwhelming desire coursed through me, the urge to take him within my depths driving me crazy with need.

"Please," I whispered, feeling tears beginning to sting my eyes. The need was beginning to hurt.

"Hmm?"

"I need you." I whimpered. Breaking the kiss, he maneuvered himself to be positioned at my soaked entrance.

"Ready?" he asked, looking at me. With a nod, be gripped me hips, and pressed me down, allowing me to sink all the way onto his lap, groaning as I took his full length inside of me. I couldn't help the gasp at the sudden intrusion of him invading my body.

He held me there for a moment before lifting me gently up, almost slipping back out, before sheathing himself again.

XXX

It was hours later and we had gotten our fill of one another several more times that I finally asked, "What does this mean?" I needed him to clarify it for me. 

He grunted, "Hmm?"

Frowning I tried again, "Does… does this mean we're together?"

He snorted and leaned up on his elbow to look at me. "Well, I should hope so, Lucy."

Blushing, I looked away. "I just wanted to make sure."

He cocked a brow at me, saying, "We'll I wouldn't just do that with just anyone."

With a punch to the arm, I shouted, "I just wanted to make sure, you jerk!"

Pulling me towards him, he murmured, "You're so easy to tease," smiling against my throat.

"Shut up!" I muttered, relaxing in his embrace.

After a moment, he mumbled, "Lucy…"

"Hm…?"

"I love you."

"I love you too."


	14. Chapter 14

chapter Fourteen

 

“Where are you going?” Natsu asked as I rolled over and out of the bed.

Pulling one of the blankts along with me, I murmured, “Bathroom. I’m filthy.”

I watched in horror as Natsu shifted closer to me and took a sniffed me. Frowning, he replied, “You smell fine to me.”

Shoving him away, I moved further away from him. “Natsu! Just because you say so, doesn’t mean I feel like that.” Shaking my head, I turned and started for the bathroom. It wasn’t until Natsu brushed past me that I asked, “What are you…” trailing off as he came to a stop at the doorway.

Did he seriously think I was going to bathe with him? He held the door open for me, nonchalantly saying, “Well come on,” completely naked!

Clutching the blanket to my chest, I shrieked, “I’m not taking a bath with you!”

He blinked before asking, “Why not?”

“Natsu!” Why didn’t he just get it? It was hard not to let my eyes drift down, but I couldn’t get distracted right now.

“What?”

Shaking my head, I replied, “No! It’s not proper!”

Crossing his arms, he asked, “Why not?”

“It just… isn’t.”

He smirked, invaiding my personal space as he murmured, “Luce, it’s not like I haven’t seen it all before.” I could feel his hot breath across my skin, and it sent shivers down my spine.

I felt my cheeks flush as I looked away. “Still…”

He leaned back then, tugging on the sheet. “And it’s not like you haven’t seen me naked.”

“…” I didn’t bother to catch the sheet as he freed it from my grasp, baring me to him. With my face red, I relented. “Fine.”

He grabbed my hand and pulled me into the bathroom, shutting the door behind us. Swallowing, I licked my lips as he strolled over to the tub and turned on the water. I could feel my pulse jump as he made his way back over to me, his eyes narrowed—darkening with desire. It sent a bolt of pure desire to my loins.

Without a word, his mouth was over mine, hot and demanding. I couldn’t help but melt against him, kissing him back with just as much passion. We’d already had relations multiple times tonight, but it was as if he couldn’t get enough of me. I could tell he was… well, we both were making up for lost time. I wondered how many more times it would take before he would be sated for the night.

“N-natsu,” I pulled away, gasping as he dove towards my throat, nipping at the mark he’d left there.

“Yes?”

“The… the water.” He pulled back, frowning. Clearing my throat, I elaborated, “I don’t want the apartment to flood.”

“Oh. Right.” Nodding, he released his hold on me and turned back to the tub, shutting off the water. After it was turned off, he turned back to me, and I knew what I was in for before he even opened his mouth. I could feel my desire dripping down my thighs at the thought. “Now, where were we?”

*          *          *

The following morning, I was awoken to Natsu rolling on top of me and wringing several breathtaking orgasms from me before he allowed himself to find pleasure.

“That’s a nice way to wake up,” I murmured, my hands running through his pink hair, as he caught his breath atop of me.

“Aye.” After a moment, he started to roll over, and I gripped his hair tighter.

It felt nice, having him in my embrace like this. “Don’t,” I warned. I was comfortable and he wasn’t going anywhere right now.

Eyeing me, he finally nodded after a moment. “Aye.”

Glancing out the window, I took note that the sky was brightening up considerably. After a moment, I murmured, “… You know, we’re going to have to go to the guild sometime today.”

“…I know.”

With a sigh, I continued, “I wish we didn’t have to. I wish we could stay like this forever.”

He grinned, pulling himself up and gave me a kiss on the lips. “Just give me another minute or two, and we can go again.”

Flushing, I shoved him off of me, “Pervert!”

“But you love me anyway,” he replied, pulling me into his arms.

Smiling, I nodded. “I do. I wouldn’t change a thing about you.”

“I love you, Lucy,” he murmured against my skin, nibbling on my sensitive throat.

I sighed with contentment. “I love you too, Natsu. With all my heart.”

Just then, my stomach growled, disrupting the moment. Pulling away, he looked at me with incredulous. “Oi.”

I sat up taking the sheet with me. “S-shut up! I’m hungry!”

“Guess we definitely need to head to the guild then before you starve,” he replied, leaning down to kiss my stomach through the sheet.

Scowling, I snapped, “Idiot!”

He got out of the bed, pulling me with him. “Come on then.”

*          *          *

Walking to the guild was interesting to say the least. Anytime anyone, particularly male, came near us, Natsu practically scared them off with his growling. If they were stupid enough to ignore the warning, he didn’t hesitate to release his deadly aurora.

I shook my head at his behavior, chalking it up to his parentage and magic. After all, he was raised by a dragon. Though, I knew I’d have to address it sooner or later because he couldn’t just hoard me to himself, regardless of what he was thinking.

As we neared the building, I pulled him off to the side, “Natsu…”

“Aye?” He gave me a quizzical glance.

“I was wondering….” I trailed off, wondering how to put it without offending him.

“…”

“Do you think we could keep it from the guild for just a little while longer?” To be honest, I wasn’t ashamed or anything over our relationship, but right now we had other things that we, as a guild, needed to be focused on. Like Nathan for one.

A flash of hurt crossed his face before he could stop it and it hurt to see it. “…why?”

“I just… I don’t want to be teased all day.”

“Oh.”

I continued, “And I just don’t think now is the right time for us to tell everyone… not until this situation with Nathan is resolved.”

After a moment of silence passed between us, he nodded. “…I guess I can wait.”

“I mean, if you really want to tell the guild, we can.”

Shaking his head, he said, “No, you’re right. We should wait.”

“Okay.” I smiled, giving him a kiss on his cheek.

Grasping his hand in mine, we continued towards the guild hall, loosening our grips and allowing our hands to drift apart as it came into view.

We weren’t even able to greet everyone before Mirajane’s voice rang out, “So, who’s your father Nashi?”

 


End file.
